Long-whiskered Owlet (Xenoglaux loweryi)

Mohamed bin Zayed Species project number 0925712

The primary tropical forests of Abra Patricia have been identified as a priority for protection by the Alliance for Zero Extinction as they represent the only remaining site in the world for the Critically Endangered Ochre-fronted Antpitta and Yellow-tailed Woolly Monkey.  ABC and its in-country partner, Asociación Ecosistemas Andinos (ECOAN), are in the final stages of acquiring the core tracts of forest needed to complete the Abra Patricia Reserve. 

 

The Abra Patricia-Alto Nieva Private Conservation Area (PCA) is located at mid-altitude in the foothills of the Andes, in the Peruvian Yungas, where bird diversity is among the highest on Earth. The reserve protects parts of the upper watershed and headwaters of the Amazon River. Once protected by its remote and inaccessible habitat, Abra Patricia is now threatened by its accessibility through a major paved road as well as the construction of new roads, bringing with them logging, agriculture, and cattle  ranching, as well as poaching of wildlife and orchids. Over the past five years, ABC and ECOAN have acquired over 7,000 acres of outstanding Peruvian Yungas forests to create the Abra Patricia Reserve, protecting habitat for migratory and threatened bird species including the Endangered Long-whiskered Owlet and the Ochre-fronted Antpitta.  The reserve is owned and managed by ECOAN.  To improve the infrastructure and sustainability of the reserve, ABC provided support to ECOAN to build a guard house, research station, and an ecolodge in the reserve.   In addition, ABC and ECOAN are conducting an environmental education and public awareness campaign to gain local support for the reserve.  

 

ABC and ECOAN are in the final stages of acquiring the few remaining tracts of land to complete the Abra Patricia reserve.  With the support of the Mohamed bin Zayed Species Conservation Fund, ABC and ECOAN successfully purchased the 25 ha “La Cumbre” property at Abra Patricia. The “La Cumbre” property is especially important as it protects the main water source for the reserve.