Volunteers drawn beauties Cerro Blanco Forest

During the months of April and May 20 a call for volunteers was performed with for artistic drawing skills, so that we have the participation of Mr. Hugo Mite and Mr. Raúl Galdea who made beautiful drawings of the biodiversity of dry forest tropical which are being used in the design of environmental education material for the Pro-Forest Foundation.

The Weekly Live Guayaquil newspaper El Universo made ​​them a story for his selfless to participate with their talent for a good cause work.

http://m.eluniverso.com/noticias/2014/05/01/nota/2902166/plasman-vida-cerro-blanco

Adaptation and release of Six Great Green Macaws In The Cerro Blanco Protected Forest

The Jambeli Rescue Foundation has developed a successful captive breeding program for the Great Green Macaw over a 10 year period.  One of the principal objectives of this program is the release of adult GGM´s in its dry tropical forest habitat and contribute to the conservation program for the species in its natural state.

The Pro-Forest Foundation has more than twenty years experience in the development of programs and projects benefitting the conservation of the dry tropical forest ecosystem, especially the Cerro Blanco Protected Forest, which has been used by Great Green Macaws as nesting, roosting and feeding sites.

The Pro-Forest Foundation has carried out several programs and projects that benefit directly the Great Green Macaw in the Cerro Blanco Protected Forest and adjacent areas including protection of nest sites and habitat through park ranger patrols and law enforcement, habitat restoration and enhancement through the construction and placement of artificial nest boxes as well as environmental education and awareness building in local communities both for adults through an honorary park warden project as well as primary and secondary school programs.

The Jambeli Rescue Foundation and Pro-Forest Foundation have joined with other organizations in Ecuador to prepare and implement a Great Green Macaw National Conservation Strategy beginning in 2003 to the present.  The strategy includes a ex-situ component which includes the reproduction and eventual release of Great Green Macaws to help bolster the wild population in Ecuador, which is critically endangered.

In March we had to Will and Sophy as volunteers in Cerro Blanco, they from England. Them project was to record photos and videos about adaptation's project. The photos and video presented here are the result of his outstanding work.

Expedition Chester Zoo in the Cerro Blanco Forest to find the Red-lored Amazon

Last January we had the pleasant visit of a technical team from Chester Zoo from England, whose visit was to study the Red-lored Amazon (Amazona lilacina) to determine their habitat, behavior, diet, reproduction, etc.. The study was conducted for 10 days in two areas specifically Cerro Blanco Forest and Mangroves of Puerto Hondo.

Vacation Camp 2014 on Cerro Blanco Forest.

During the months of March and April 2014 Tania and Jaime Echeverria of Papooms conducted the Vacation Camp 2014 on Cerro Blanco Forest. A great opportunity where the little kids learned about the tropical dry forest and the importance of conservation. Painted, played, sang, made ​​crafts and above were connected with nature and learned to appreciate it and love it.

Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco Hosts Casa Abierta

Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco hosted its Casa Abierta event on Saturday 19 October opening its doors and sharing its many exciting projects and initiatives with the children, students, families and groups of friends who visited to find out more about the inner workings of Cerro Blanco and enjoy a day out in the beautiful forest.

The purpose of the event was to provide an insight into the many conservation, research, reforestation and tourism projects and activities at Cerro Blanco, which are not normally accessible to members of the public. Other local organizations also attended and set up expositions - providing an overall picture of the fantastic work going on in the various grassroots conservation groups and communities of the Guayaquil area. 

Some of Cerro Blanco's expositions included control and prevention of forest fires, protection and vigilance, research, the forest nursery and reforestation, environmental education and internships. Partner organizations taking part included the Fundacion Jambeli who operate an animal rescue and Papagayo breeding centre, The Nature Conservancy who are promoting the initiative for a wildlife corridor, the UPMA putting under the spotlight the grim reality of the illegal animal trade, and the Amigos del Estero who were promoting awareness of the importance of and threats to the Guayas estuary.

Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco and its partners also presented in the bar area on a broad range of topics, from illegal animal trafficking to butterfly research projects, offering expert views as well the opportunity for group discussion.

There were plenty of arts and crafts in action to. In celebration of the book Tangerine, about the day in the life of a Grey Cheeked Parakeet who lives in New York, there was an area set aside for coloring, cutting and gluing, as well as a competition in which three lucky winners got copies of the book to take home.

As part of the event there was also a mini bat festival in honor of the AICOM award received by Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco; bat lovers could spend time making bat masks and other bat-related arts and crafts, and for those who wanted to get up close and personal to our night-time friends there was also a special evening bat hunt to track down bats living in Cerro Blanco, and so learn more about this fascinating animal and their important role in the forest ecosystem.

Within the beautiful forest of Cerro Blanco, employees, friends and visitors had a fantastic day out, learning more about the importance of the conservation, research, regeneration and educational initiatives of Cerro Blanco and partner organizations, as well as enjoying nature; be it by going on a short guided walk through the forest, a cycle around the bike path or just by having a relaxing lunch under the trees. 

Conservando los Papagayos de Guayaquil

Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco was recently alerted to the presence of a family of Great Green Macaws (Papagayos) that had moved into the area. Such a sighting is exciting news as Papagayos are an endangered species and rarely spotted in the wild.

The team went down to investigate and is now monitoring the nest site and family closely, 24 hours a day, to watch developments and to protect the site. There are two parents and two chicks living in a tree hollow in a dead Pigio tree. They seem to be doing well, and when the parents took to the air we managed to film them flying past.

Cerro Blanco takes part in many initiatives to research and support the propagation of Papagayos, through, for example investigation of feeding patterns, programs to support the managed release of captive-bred Papagayos and projects that build and maintain links with local communities to work together to protect the birds and thier habitat.

For more general information about Papagayos click here

Cerro Blanco Takes Part in Annual International Tourism Fair

From Thursday 26th through Sunday 29th Bosque Protector Cerro Blanco took part in the four-day Feria Internacional del Turismo, the annual tourism fair at the Guayaquil Convention Centre, which coincides with World Tourism Day on the 27th September. The event is aimed to bring together tourism operators from Ecuador and offer those in the tourism industry and members of the public an opportunity to find out what’s on offer in Ecuador and abroad.

The convention centre was packed with music, dancing, displays and food, and visitors full of curiosity took advantage - exploring the different stands, talking to stand holders, watching, and occasionaly taking part in, the odd dance, as well as indulging in free tastings of some tasty food and drinks.

All of the provinces in Ecuador were represented, including Guayaquil and Guayas. The team at Cerro Blanco spent a busy but fun few days preparing the stand for Bosque Cerro Blanco; collecting moss and tree trunks, trees and plants, in order to recreate the sights, sounds and smells of the forest.

The Cerro Blanco stand generated plenty of interest and the team there spoke and handed out lots of information to interested people over the four days. It also provided a popular little area for children to explore and a perfect spot for visitors to take a photo with friends, family or one of Cerro Blanco´s guides.