The Cherry-throated tanager (Nemosia rourei) is a critically endangered bird with less then 20 individuals remaining in the wild and none in captivity. In 2020, IMD started a conservation program involving research, monitoring, environmental education and community engajement. The main threats to the species is the loss of habitat, since it is very restrict to primary old forests above 850m asl. In two years, the program was able to confirm two ocurrence locations only and monitor 3 nests for the first time since the species discovery in 1870. These nests generated 7 more individuals to the population making it almost double in number. Nest monitoring and predation avoidance is urgent asure the protection of the hatchlings and population recovery. As part of the Cherry-throated tanager conservation program, IMD and other partners purchased a 788 acres land at the Caetés Forest to create a reserve and stablish the protection of one of the two populations of the Cherry-throated tanager. The other one is already inside a federal reserve.

 This project granted by MBZ will allow us to reach three goals in the protection of the birds:

1) To protect and avoid predation of the nests of the Cherry-throated Tanager during the reproductive season and guarantee chick survival. 2) To use modern surveillance techniques for long-term protect the area. 3) Train reserve guards in observation, protection, new technological methods to insure continual species protection.

For more informationi about the Cherry-throated tanager conservation program, access: https://en.imd.org.br/programa-saira-apunhalada