The rarity in the context of bird watching: the case of the Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii) and future challenges

Abstract

Birdwatching is an activity that combines leisure and citizen science. The practice contributes positively in the destination, but also in the places of origin of travelers, generating positive social, economic and environmental impacts. However, it can also generate negative direct and indirect impacts, related to habitat degradation and behavior change, population decline or species extinction. In the case of rare birds, human interference can be even more harmful. In this context, the present study has its analytical focus the case of the Spix's Macaw (Cyanopsitta spixii), originally from the northeast of Bahia (Brazil). This bird, considered extinct in nature, is the subject of a conservation project that aims to reintroduce it to nature in 2024. In this context, this article was prepared with the following question as the central research problem: What future challenges may arise in relation to the attractiveness of Spix's Macaws that will be reintroduced into nature, in the context of birdwatching tourism? This paper aims to discuss and reflect on the future challenges in relation to birdwatching tourism and its impacts on the population of Spix’s Macaws to be reintroduced into nature. This article has an analytical character based on secondary data (web pages, books, scientific articles and documents), both in relation to the object of study and in the theoretical basis for the analysis. With the research, it was found that birdwatching, as a systematic activity, can generate negatives impacts on the habitat and animal populations and it has the potential to worsen in the case of rare species. Thus, the institutions involved in the Spix's Macaw conservation project must include in their agenda of debates and future actions, the structuring and management of the observation of these birds, in order to guarantee the integrity of the conservation actions and the well-being of the birds.