The Santa Marta Conure (Pyrrhura viridicata) is IUCN-Endangered in the wild due to habitat loss of 30% to 80%. The main threats to their forests are food agriculture, livestock farming, and logging, the impacts of which are ongoing. The species is not affected by illegal trapping, however there are records of hunting. Some birds are occasionally shot as crop pests.

The World Parrot Trust’s partner project Ciencia Serrana, in collaboration with Proyecto de Conservación de Aguas y Tierras (ProCAT Colombia) and SELVA Investigación para la Conservación en el Neotrópico, is making positive inroads in the conservation of Santa Marta Parakeets in the Sierra Nevada de Santa Marta. Initial efforts have focused on understanding the parakeet’s habitat, observing behaviour and distribution, and engaging local communities through workshops. The Ciencia Serrana team has installed 46 nest boxes in the birds’ habitat. Next is identifying the occupancy rate of the artificial nests, and assessing the relationship between design and materials used to build the boxes and their occupancy rate. Throughout the project, the local community has built, installed and monitored the nests.

Local community members, trained by WPT’s field technicians, are integral to monitoring these nests. Local engagement in Santa Marta Parakeet conservation strategies is vital to safeguarding the species.