Great Green Macaw Reintroduction Project

The foundations for Ara Manzanillo began over 35 years ago.  In 2010, The Ara Project initiated a Great Green macaw (Ara ambiguous) reintroduction project in the South Caribbean region of Costa Rica near Manzanillo in a national wildlife refuge. This project represented the first time, that the Great Green macaw species were reintroduced into the wild anywhere in the world. The objective of the project was to establish a self-sustainable population in the region. This group could eventually link up with the remaining wild populations of Great Greens of northern Costa Rica and the wild population of central and northern Panama..

After several years of successful reintroduction of Great Green Macaws into their natural habitat, The Ara Project in Manzanillo now known as Ara Manzanillo was legally established as an official non-governmental association, Asociación El Proyecto Ara, in February 2012. The aim of the newly formed organization remained the same as original founders’ goals — to ensure the long-term future of wild parrots in Costa Rica, through restoring macaws to their historic range in Costa Rica, contributing to the scientific community, encouraging the protection of tropical forests, and educating the public to assure the benefit and enjoyment of present and future generations for many years to come. The project receives financial and technical support from national and international institutions and NGOs, as well as from hundreds of visitors that come to the release station and also visitors to their webpage.

• Visit: aramanzanillo.org
• Connect on Facebook: facebook.com/ara-manzanillo
• Press Release: Lifetime membership for the Loro Parque Fundación to Enrique Pucci of Ara Manzanillo