William Ferrufino, the Bolivian “Disney hero” who keeps the palkachupas

La Paz, 18 Mar Every day, William Ferrufino walked four hours a day to get to his school. On the way he was struck by the colors of a bird, so much so that he began to observe its way of life, its nests and even learned its song without knowing that years later it would become one of the “heroes” of the conservation of one of Bolivia's endemic birds. The 15 kilometers he had to travel to study, from the Sumaya community to Aten, in the municipality of Apolo in the department of La Paz, brought him closer to the palkachupa, an endemic bird of Bolivia, which in Quechua means “split tail or cropped tail”, tells Efe Ferrufino. His voluntary commitment to the preservation of these birds earned him recognition as “Disney Conservation Hero”, an award given to 15 people around the world for their contribution to the protection of wildlife and natural habitats. Ferrufino, who is part of the indigenous people of los lecos, comments that the first thing that captivated him about this animal is the yellow color of its feathers and the fork in its tail. Little by little, he began to observe that there were several specimens of this bird on his way and he learned to recognize their nests and their song. His interest transcended over the years and he learned to whistle, resembling the song of the palkachupas. With that, he identified and visualized them. “The vocalization is very soft, the singing can be heard at 50 meters, if you are an expert, the singing of this species helps a lot to visualize them”, says Ferrufino. With all the knowledge he had about this species, several biologists contacted him to become his guide and help them find specimens to study them and conduct research for their conservation. It was through these investigations and discussions with biologists that he began to learn more information about this species and understand the importance of its preservation, as well as to identify the factors that threatened it. In 2010, he collaborated with a monitoring of this species and counted at least 800 specimens, but he believes that today they are “much less”, since livestock and the “opening of roads” are destroying part of their habitat. “The reduction of plants and trees that are necessary for these birds is affecting their populations, we are seeing fewer and fewer nests,” he emphasizes. A RESERVE FOR BIRDS Noting the impact of the habitat of the palkachupas, the communities of Apollo together with the civil association Armonía decided to preserve the habitat of this important species and to prepare a reserve for these birds. In the place they planted some of the plants and trees that are being affected by agriculture and livestock, such as the Higuerón or Mapajo or the Yuri, where the palkachupas put their nests. “There are at least seven species that are the most common where birds make their nest or feed on their fruits that are necessary to preserve these birds,” Ferrufino said. That is why it is “crucial” that this reserve has sufficient personnel and financial support to monitor this species on the spot. “Now it doesn't have funds, it's paralyzed, but it's like a community reserve that can be a great tourism potential that also helps communities,” says the Bolivian. Ferrufino is also responsible for talking to children about this species so that in the future they will also take care of the populations of these birds that are only found in Madidi Park, one of the most biodiverse nature reserves in the world. THE PRIZE Ferrufino learned that he was chosen as one of the recipients of the “Disney Hero” award through a phone call from Wildlife Conservation (WCS) biologists and will be awarded $1,500. “For me it was a lot of excitement and joy, we conservationists are very few, but this drives me to follow this work that I do voluntarily and because I like to do,” Ferrufino said. He added that he has been doing this work for 22 years “without any interest”, but that he knows that it is important to preserve the country's nature and species. “The important thing is to do what we like and value what we have before it disappears,” Ferrufino said. Currently, he is engaged in crafts together with a community enterprise and they make key rings and trays, among other items, to sell to the population. Yolanda Salazar