Releasing Turaco's Flight
This year the International Po Delta Birdwatching and Nature Tourism Fair together with LIPU (Italian Bird Protection League), will support a International Conservation project of BirdLife International, renewing its commitment to support projects to spread the culture of birdwatching.
This yaera the International Po Delta Birdwatching and Nature Tourism Fair (IT) with British Birdwatching Fair 2010 (UK) participate in the "Preventing Extinction Program", through the support of one of over 1200 globally threatened species: the Prince Ruspoli's Turaco, currently classified as "Vulnerable" by IUCN / BirdLife Red List of Birds the World and distributed in a limited region of southern Ethiopia. BirdLife is starting a conservation program to protect the fragile forest habitat of this species, threatened by deforestation and habitat degradation.
THE PROJECT
Surveys in 1989 and 2003 revealed habitat loss and a decline in habitat quality at some sites. Human pressure is probably to blame for the decline of the species around Arero, with fires being reported in neighbouring woodland areas in March 1994. Agricultural expansion was found to be the main cause of habitat degradation in the north during recent surveys, but overgrazing and uncontrolled bushfires were more important in the south. Throughout, collection of firewood is degrading habitat. However, the species does seem able to tolerate some human exploitation of its habitatwhich, being relatively semi-arid, is not as severely threatened by the expanding human population as most other Ethiopian forests. However, the area is wet enough to support coffee, which will likely result in increased settlement. Many plantations of exotic tree species (Eucalyptus spp, Cupressus spp) have also been created recently. Not only do these seem to have failed in their aim of reducing pressure on native forests, but have - along with habitat degradation - facilitated a substantial expansion of the range of the forest-preferring T. leucotis into the range of the more woodland-favouring T. ruspolii. Studies seem to indicate that T. ruspolii is not at risk from competition. However, recent observations of hybrids with T. leucotis have raised fears over the long term genetic integrity of T. ruspolii. In addition, the reluctance of turacos to fly across non-wooded habitat may make isolated populations unusually susceptible to local extinction. Evidence has recently been found of attempts to illegally capture the species, perhaps indicating that this is an increasing threat, and access to areas within its range, although still difficult, has improved in recent years. The capture of adult birds is likely to be for the cagebird trade and appears to be only a minor threat. The species's eggs may be taken for medicinal purposes, although this also likely to be a very minor threat.
Tauraco ruspolii has a very restricted range in southern Ethiopia, around Arero, Bobela, Sokora, Negele and Wadera. Fieldwork in 1995 found the species in all previously known localities and in some previously unreported sites. The northern part of the species's distribution encompasses the woodlands of Anferara-Wadera and adjacent Bore-Anferara. It seems likely that these two areas, where it is not uncommon in suitable habitat, hold the majority of the species's population. It is more common and widespread than was formerly believed, but may never have occupied a much wider range than today, due to its restricted altitudinal distribution. In 1995, the population was estimated at c.10,000 individuals. However, rapid changes to its habitat between 1995 and 2007 are likely to have caused a decline in the population of around 10-30%, and it is now expected to number less than 10,000 individuals.
HISTORY
History is exciting: Prince Ruspoli (original Florentine family-but then moved to Rome Cerveteri) discovered and described the species in Ethiopia but he could not write the details of the location because he died killed by an elephant during an hunting day.
Download: Saving the South Ethiopian Highlands for threatened endemics
Download: Prince Ruspoli's Turaco