In Bolivia’s flooded savannas, ranching aims to boost grasslands conservation

Towering the grass islands of the Llanos de Moxos, the motacú palm (Attalea phalerata) has been around for thousands of years. It’s common across this flooded ecosystem, a mix of savanna and wetlands that spreads over more than 125,000 hectares (about 308,900 acres) in northern Bolivia. Although they are vital nesting sites and source of food for the critically endangered blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis), motacú palms also attract unwanted visitors. Cattle seeking refuge from the water have long consumed these islands’ understories and exhausted their soils, undermining tree development and endangering macaws. These islands are not the only ones vulnerable. Beni’s grasslands and forests are threatened by intensive grazing and encroaching rice and soy crops. But in the last 15 years or so, efforts to protect ecosystems and more recently, to involve the ranching community in conservation, have increased.   The Barba Azul Reserve – named after the Spanish name for the blue-throated macaw – spreads over 11,000 hectares (27,180 acres) in the Yacuma province of Beni. It contains a variety of ecosystems, from gallery forests and savannas to wetlands and secondary forests. The reserve was created in 2008 by Asociación Civil Armonia, a bird conservation NGO, which acquired the land to protect the rare macaws, whose populations had dropped dramatically since the 1970s. The blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis) depends on the motacú palm, an emblematic tree in the Beni savannas.  Image by Lennart Verheuvel, courtesy of Asociación Armonia. In the last few years, the NGO has focused on shifting…This article was originally published on Mongabay