ARMONÍA

Concerned about birdlife in Bolivia.

What is Armonía?
Founded in 1993 and as from 1996 the Bolivian Partner of BirdLife International, Armonía is a volunteer-based non-profit association dedicated to the study and conservation of birds. The conservation projects of Armonía reflect our vision that Man and Nature are one, and are the working strategy which we use to fulfil the association's main objectives.
What are the main objectives of Armonía?

Conservation of Bolivia's birds and their habitats through scientific investigation, training courses, and working agreements with other institutions.

Diffusion of information relating to the conservation of Nature with special emphasis on birds, at a national level, to strengthen the process of ecological awareness in Bolivia.

Although our strength will always be in promoting the conservation of Bolivia's birds, in response to the great richness of this country's biodiversity Armonía is now in the process of opening its scope of interest to other areas of conservation and ecology, always with the sole aim of contributing as directly as possible to the conservation of natural resources. .

What does Armonía offer?
Armonía's headquarters is known as the Bird Conservation Centre, situated in Santa Cruz de la Sierra, Bolivia. This centre is specialised for study, collection of information, and diffusion of information on neotropical birds and conservation. The centre is open to the public and offers the following:

Ornithological library specialised in neotropical species and their conservation, the largest of its kind in Bolivia.

Ornithological database systematically documenting Bolivian species and associated data on status, habitats, distribution, nomenclature, morphometrics, natural history and conservation.

Ornithological sound and video library.

Attention to the public for orientation, discussion, and research.
Working space with computer backup.

Hire of field equipment (members only).

Some of Armonía's on-going projects.

Bolivia Important Bird Areas (IBA) programme, participating in the Regional IBA strategy. This programme is currently underway despite lack of funding.

Conservation of the Blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis). On-going programme since 1993, aiming to establish a long term and local protective framework for this endemic and globally threatened species.

Documentation of the people, the plants, and the animals of the Uyuni Salt Lake. This project is culminating with the publication of a didactic book brimming with original artwork, photos and information, as a means of environmental education targeted at visitors to the area, and for distribution in local communities. The book is also a public petition for UNESCO World Heritage Site protected status.

Projects in the pipeline.

Biodiversity monitoring using indicator species in the Southwest Amazon region of Bolivia. Joint venture with WWF-Bolivia, other international conservation groups, and a local grassroots organisation.

Edition and update of the Bolivia Bird List, and development of Armonía's existing bird database.

Status update of the Hyacinth Macaw (Anodorhynchus hyacinthinus) in Bolivia.

Participatory community waste-recycling programme, Bolivian Yungas.

Other activities.

Toucan Club, a weekly environmental education forum for children.

Organisation of Bird Conservation Symposiums, targeting different life-zones in Bolivia.

Publication and edition of proceedings of the Bird Symposiums, birdwatching guides, information magazine and bulletins.

Logistical backup to visiting expeditions and researchers, including the service of overflights and shuttling with Armon'aÕs bush plane.

Who are the people in Armonía?
Armonía is an association, with a growing membership currently totalling 168 people, half of whom live in Bolivia. Below is a brief presentation of those individuals who are most active for Armon'a on a day to day basis.

Lois Jammes:

Founding member.

Resident in Bolivia since 1970.

Professional bush pilot, became an active ecologist through aerial appreciation of the alarmingly fast man-made changes to BoliviaÕs landscape since the mid-80's.

Contact: lois.jammes@scbbs-bo.com

Alan Hesse:

President.

Resident in Bolivia since 1993.

Zoologist, permanently active in most Armon'a activities and currently at the head of the association, Alan's main focus is as co-ordinator of the on-going conservation programme for BoliviaÕs endangered and endemic Blue-throated macaw. (Ara glaucogularis).

Contact:- armonia@scbbs-bo.com

Claudia Maldonado:

Executive member.

Agronomist by profession, Claudia represented Armon'a in the recent BirdLife International World Conference in Malaysia, and she is currently in charge of various environmental education activities in Armon'a.

Contact:- eltaller@mail.cotas.com.bo

A. Bennett Hennessey:

Executive member and ornithologist.

Bennett is the co-ordinator of the IBA program in Bolivia. Recent IBA related work include survey and protection programs for the Ash-breasted Tit-Tyrant Anairetes alpinus, Wattled Curassow Crax globulosa, Scimitar-winged Piha Lipaugus uropygialis,and Bolivian Recurvebill Simoxenops striatus. Bennett obtains funding for many of his conservation efforts through leading the occasional birdwatching tour, has lead 16 forest expeditions in the last five years in Bolivia, and has archived over 700 sound recordings of Bolivian birds in the Cornell Library of Natural Sounds.

Contact:- Tangara@compuserve.com

Sebastian Herzog:

Executive member and ornithologist.

Resident in Bolivia since 1998, Sebastian has a fascination for the diversity of neotropical birds. He has been conducting research since 1995 for his PhD thesis on patterns of diversity and endemism of forest bird communities in the Bolivian Andes. Sebastian is currently directing a population study on birds of endangered Polylepis Forests with the University of San Sim—n, Cochabamba, and with Armon'a he will soon be involved in producing a revised and updated edition of the much coveted "Bolivia Bird List".

Contact:- skherzog@compuserve.com

How can one join Armonía?
There are many ways to get involved with nature conservation in Bolivia. One way is to become a member of Armonía. Our members usually join because they know that their annual membership fee is a help to the association and our projects. Other members like to specify one or more of Armon'aÕs activities to which they would like their membership quota to go towards supporting. Yet other members simply join because they want to feel involved in some way with Armoní's activities.
The different options of our recently revamped membership scheme are found below:

Individual membership: US$ 25 per year.

Family membership: US$ 50 per year.

Juvenile membership: US$ 30 per year.

We are in touch with our members by email, and those who live in Bolivia or who have access to email will get regular news bulletins. Our new Juvenile Member category includes a collectable ecology fun sheet once a month (Bolivia residents only).
Contact details:

Armonía

Casilla 3081,

Calle Mexico 110,

Tel/Fax: +591-3-371005,

Bolivia

Email:- armonia@scbbs-bo.com

This page hosted by "Wild Macaws". at no charge due to the high cost of webpages in Bolivia.