The Project : The Harpy eagle (Harpia harpyja) a bird of prey from South America, are considered high-priority species for conservation efforts due to the significant flagship role in the rainforest. Destruction of the forest by logging and poaching are the principal threats to Harpy.
It is estimated that Harpy populations was historically extirpated from the Atlantic forest. In the Amazon forest due to the remaining large intact area researchers consider that Harpy have an ample area to inhabit. Although, in the last decades, the people that live in the Amazon forests (today about 24,700,000 people) are expanding their home range, consequently, the deforestation increases and the meetings with wildlife species are common. Several possibilities may arise from this contact, therefore, environmental education can aid the Harpy Eagle breeding sites’ maintenance and its conservation. Now, we monitor 50 breeding sites in Brazilian rainforests, near human communities and we investigate if this proximity can cause low breeding success and affect the Harpy Eagle reproduction.
This is my painting in pastel of the Harpry Eagle. Photo reference Hudson Garcia.
