Boa Nova/Serra da Ouricana, Bahia

Boa Nova is located in the Southwestern part of the Bahia state, enclosed within the Vitória da Conquista plateau, and has been famous among ornithologists for decades due to its unique and diverse bird community, with typical elements of the montane Atlantic Forests in contact with endemic elements of the Caatinga biome. In this transitional area lies a dry vegetation formation known as mata-de-cipó, as a well known locality for the threatened Slender Antbird Rhopornis ardesiacus, one of the rarest antbirds in Brazil, and the Narrow-billed Antwren Formicivora iheringi. There are more than 300 bird species reported for Boa Nova, 10 of them globally threatened with extinction. Despite the apparent biological importance of Boa Nova, it has been neglected in terms of conservation and, as a result, less than 2.6% of the original forests remain there. 

Since 2004, the BirdLife/SAVE Brasil has been dedicating conservation efforts to preserve the mata-de-cipó and the Atlantic Forests of Boa Nova. In 2005, BirdLife/SAVE Brasil hired a Field Manager, who is living in Boa Nova working on the development of biological surveys, involvement of local stakeholders, landscape management and promotion of environmental education activities to disseminate the importance of conservation to Boa Nova's community, local institutions and governmental bodies. BirdLife/SAVE Brasil is also part of a group of organisations that, together with the Brazilian Ministry of Environment, is articulating the creation of public protected areas in the Atlantic Forest Central Corridor, where Boa Nova is located. One of these reserves is expected to be created at Boa Nova, encompassing both the mata-de-cipó and the humid forests.

Project objectives: Ensure the conservation of the Boa Nova forests and threatened and endemic species, through the implementation of an integrated conservation programme that involves scientific research, community engagement, environmental education, awareness raising and public policies articulation, especially directed to the creation of protected areas.

Date project began: 2000

Project duration: ongoing

Principal accomplishments to date:

Scientific research

The Slender Antbird Rhopornis ardesiacus, the target species of this project, has been continuously studied and monitored since August 2005. After one year of field work, BirdLife/SAVE Brasil concluded the map of the species occurrence areas. Some of them have a considerable portion of mata-de-cipó in good conditions and their owners seem to be interested in their conservation, especially when knowing that these forests home species of global concern.

One of the most important achievements of biological surveys was the discovery of Slender Antbird's nest, which is being described by BirdLife/SAVE Brasil. This is the first description of this species' breeding behaviour, and it will be of great value to understand the relation between the species and the ground bromeliad Gravatá (Aechmea aquilega), where the nest is built, and to propose more accurate measures for the conservation of Boa Nova. BirdLife/SAVE Brasil is ringing and monitoring some individuals of the Slender Antbird to gather data related to the size of the species territory, as well as to estimate the population of the species that occurs in Boa Nova. Preliminary analysis reveal that the Slender Antbird has a fix territory that varies from 0,9 to 2 hectares. Related to feeding behaviour, field observations revealed that the species basically search for food under the leaves that fall in the mata-de-cipó floor; a key information to develop management strategies in areas where the species occurs.

The information provided by these studies has been an important background for environmental educational, dissemination and selection of sites for protected areas. It is also supporting the Boa Nova's Environmental Secretariat to seize birds kept in captivity, to map the municipality wildlife smuggling routes and to combat the traffic of bird species.

The project is providing technical and logistic support to researchers from other institutions who are studying the region. Ornithologists from the Universidade Católica de Pelotas visited Boa Nova to develop taxonomic surveys related to the description of a new species in the Rhynocriptidae family, apparently endemic from the Bahia montane humid forests. This finding is of great value to reinforce the need of initiatives that promote the conservation of Boa Nova forests. Also, there is a student from the Universidade Federal de Ouro Preto who is studying the effect of habitat fragmentation on the predation of nests built in Gravatás. The research simulated the Slender Antbird reproduction strategy and will provide relevant data on the species reproductive success. We also supported researchers from Instituto Dríades who went to Boa Nova to gather information on amphibians and reptiles. The most important result of this research was the discovery of two species of amphibians - probably new to science - in the region.

Awareness raising and environmental education

Awareness raising and environmental education activities have been extremely successful in Boa Nova. The local community was not aware of the rich and unique bird life that exists in Boa Nova and are really excited in having this knowledge. The local government asked for more information and pictures of the Slender Antbird and produced posters which were used to disseminate Boa Nova's biodiversity to the community.

Another important result was the development by the local government of Boa Nova of a project named Gravatazeiro (Brazilian common name of the Slender Antbird). The project was submitted to the Prêmio Bahia Ambiental (Bahia Environmental Prize), created by the Bahia state government, and conquered the third place in the category “Sustainable Municipality”.

Seminars on the Slender Antbird and the biodiversity of Boa Nova, and birdwatching tours are also being promoted by BirdLife/SAVE Brasil to the local community, especially schools. The audience is composed mostly by children and teenagers, but also by members of rural associations, landowners, students from technical courses and universities and adults from rural communities, who are taking literacy classes. We calculate that more than 1,500 people have already participated of these activities.

A notable example of the involvement generated by this project is the rural community of Goiabeira, where one of the key remnants of mata-de-cipó is located. This region's rural association (Associação dos Pequenos Produtores Rurais de Santa Madalena), together with BirdLife/SAVE Brasil, is organizing seminars for the association members and field tours with children from the community. During these tours, participants sing and draw pictures about the environment. This community is also mobilized to reduce the deforestation in the Goiabeira region, by getting in contact with local authorities and with the owners of the properties where deforestation takes place. Indeed, the cases of deforestation reduced considerably in this region.

Information disseminated by BirdLife/SAVE Brasil has been incorporated into Boa Nova's cultural life. Two local artists – a sculptor and a painter – produced art pieces related to the Slender Antbird, its environment and the threats to Boa Nova's environment. Sculptures of the species were made contributing to disseminate the knowledge on the region's biodiversity and fostering local people's interest in art and culture. BirdLife/SAVE Brasil developed an educational booklet about the species, the mata-de-cipó and its biodiversity, which was illustrated by the painter and distributed to local schools. Also, the local newspaper Gamboa and the local radio of Boa Nova are disseminating messages related to the project and to the conservation of the region's biodiversity. 

In addition to the educational booklets, BirdLife/SAVE Brasil produced bracelets with the slogan Sou amigo do Gravatazeiro (I am Slender Antbird's Friend), which were distributed to children and teenagers. To make them appreciate birds and see nature as an integral part of their lives, the bracelets are compared to the bird rings, to consolidate the tie with the Slender Antbird.

An initiative leaded by the Federal Government, in conjunction with various institutions, is under development to create protected areas in the state of Bahia. One of these protected areas, a Wildlife Refugee of 32.000 ha, is expected to be created in Boa Nova, encompassing both, mata-de-cipó and humid forests. BirdLife/SAVE Brasil is providing field support to this initiative and helping to define the reserve's boundaries based on biological information, as the Slender Antbird occurrence areas. 

Public consultations for the creation of the protected area were promoted in December 2006 and attended by approximately 200 people. Based on the comments made by the community, the proposal will be reformulated by the Ministry of Environment and sent to the Casa Civil, last instance before the Presidential Decree which creates the protected area. These achievements resulted in an item about Boa Nova and the Slender Antbird produced by the largest TV broadcasting company in Brazil and presented on the most important national news programme. This dissemination of the project at the national level contributed to alert a major audience about the importance of Boa Nova's conservation.

Working together for birds and people

In Boa Nova, the involvement with the local community has been producing extremely positive results, changing their behaviour and perception of natural resources and conservation in a way that that keeps overcoming our expectations. The Slender Antbird, which was totally unknown at the beginning of this project, became the symbol of Boa Nova. Undoubtedly, the awareness of the environment and the Slender Antbird importance are building up people's pride and becoming a significant force for Boa Nova birds and forests conservation.

Project Funders: American Bird Conservancy, Overbrook Foundation, Council of Agriculture of Taiwan, Critical Ecosystem Partnership Fund (CEPF), Dutch Government (DGIS), Disney Wildlife Conservation Fund (DWCF), The Wetland Trust, that donated the rings for the development of the scientific research, and private donations from individual donors.