Today Sunday 5th June, World Environment Day, dawns in Loro Parque with the sounds and vibrant colours of many spectacular and beautiful macaws, all flying together in a huge aviary resembling forest of South America. This gigantic home for the flock of macaws has been completely up-graded and “junglefied”, so that the visitors experience the flight of these birds in very natural surroundings.
All the macaws are from the genetic reserve of parrots owned and maintained by the Loro Parque Fundación, the non-profit organisation that finances the conservation of parrots threatened with extinction and their habitats. In 2011, the International Year of Forests which is especially celebrated today June 5th, the Foundation is supporting 30 conservation projects with 880,000 Euros. Some of these projects are for very endangered macaws, such as the Blue-throated Macaw of Bolivia, and therefore the macaws in the Loro Parque aviary are a reminder to all visitors that they need help to survive. Of the eight species of macaws in the aviary, six are threatened. For even more colour and variety, flying with the macaws are smaller parrots, such as the Green-cheeked Amazons and bright yellow Sun Conures.
In general, there are three main sources of forest degradation: deforestation for commercial purposes, fires, and fuel wood collection. If you ever wondered what to do to save an entire forest, the answer is as simple as making some changes in your lifestyle. Forests play many roles in our lives, including: providing a source of livelihood, shelter for many species, preserving the quality and availability of fresh water supplies and clean air for everyone.
World Environment Day is an annual event that has grown into one of the principal vehicles through which the United Nations stimulates worldwide awareness of the environment and encourages political attention and action.
