BACK TO NATURE

In Argentina's Iberá Wetlands, a showcase initiative is returning several keystone species and restoring this wondrous ecosystem

- DANIEL ALLEN

AT THE AGUARÁ CONSERVATION CENTRE, a stone's throw from the Argentine city of Corrientes, Mburucuya the red-and-green macaw is ready to fly. As a whistle sounds, the stunning, vermilion-plumaged parrot spreads her wings and launches herself towards the nearest food tray, 25m away down the huge enclosure. She has already followed the same trajectory numerous times today, but practice makes perfect.

Having been born in captivity, Mburucuya needs to master a range of unfamiliar skills before she can venture into the wild. Nearly a year of intensive training has strengthened her wings for long-distance flying. It has also taught her how to avoid predators, socialise with fellow macaws and seek out food. As part of a group of birds performing a similar journey, Mburucuya will soon be released into the Paraná forest of the nearby Iberá Wetlands, where she and fellow returnees will play an increasingly important role dispersing fruits and large seeds from a number of native tree species.

Red-and-green macaws, or gua’a pytã as they are called by the indigenous Guaraní people of the region, were once common in the forests of northern Argentina. But by the 20th century, the exotic pet trade, illegal feather trafficking and deforestation had driven them to local extinction. Their comeback in the Iberá Wetlands, which has so far seen 20 birds released into the wild, has come about thanks to the efforts of Rewilding Argentina (RA), a pioneering Argentine NGO that works to establish protected areas, rewild ecosystems and enable local communities to benefit from nature.