Reintroducing the Great Green Macaw
Once a vivid flash of emerald and crimson above the rainforest canopy of Bocas del Toro, the Great Green Macaw has all but vanished from the region. Deforestation of a single tree — the Almendro (Mountain Almond) — brought this magnificent bird to the brink. The Panama Project’s 2030 vision: bring it back.
The Almendro Connection
The Great Green Macaw (Ara ambiguus) nests exclusively in the Almendro tree (Dipteryx panamensis), one of the most prized hardwoods of Central America. As logging decimated Almendro populations across Panama and Costa Rica, the macaw — already Critically Endangered with fewer than 1,000 adults remaining in the wild — lost its essential nesting and feeding grounds.
In Bocas del Toro, deforestation eliminated both the trees and the macaws. The solution is deceptively simple: plant the trees, and the birds will have a home to return to. That is exactly what The Panama Project is doing.
The 2030 Recovery Plan
Working in partnership with Panama’s environmental agency (ANAM/MiAmbiente), the Institute for Tropical Ecology and Conservation (ITEC), Rotary clubs, and local communities, The Panama Project’s macaw recovery strategy combines:
- Mass planting of Almendro and Allamanda native trees across island habitats
- Captive breeding program with 4 mating pairs rescued from the pet trade
- Purpose-built aviary for breeding and acclimatization before release
- Community education and enforcement against illegal capture
- Long-term habitat monitoring and corridor protection
Restoration Timeline
- 2018–2022: Habitat Assessment & First Plantings — Initial surveys; first volunteer tree-planting missions with Rotary clubs and ITEC students.
- 2023–2024: Large-Scale Reforestation — 3,500 trees planted at Dolphin Bay; 550 Almendra trees planted; community nurseries established.
- 2025–2027: Captive Breeding Program — Aviary construction; acquisition of mating pairs; formal Species Survival Plan launched.
- 2028–2029: Soft Release & Monitoring — Gradual release into restored habitat; intensive monitoring via radio tracking.
- 2030: Goal — a self-sustaining breeding population of Great Green Macaws living wild in Bocas del Toro.