Andean Highlands Flamingos
Who: Andean Highlands Flamingo SAFE Program affiliated with Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG) and Association of Zoos and Aquariums (AZA)
What: Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis) (Near Threatened), Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus) (Vulnerable) and James’s Flamingos (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) (Near Threatened)
Where: Chile’s Andean highlands, South America
Why: Unfortunately, since the mid-1980s, Andean Highlands flamingo populations have suffered dramatic declines where human activities, such as mining and unregulated tourism, have disturbed the wetland habitats upon which the three flamingo species there depend resulting in declining populations.
This SAFE Program includes documenting the health and conservation status of Chilean, Andean, and James’s flamingos in Chile. Project biologists will investigate causes of these flamingo population declines, testing for links between human activities and declining flamingo populations using GPS monitoring. This will aid in the establishment of protected 'flamingo corridors and ultimately create Chilean government policy recommendations to better regulate land and water use in Chile’s Andean highlands and facilitate the conservation of these three flamingo species. The Greenville Zoo has the privilege of serving on this SAFE Program’s Steering Committee and participating in a wildlife conservation effort directly and actively.
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To learn more, visit https://www.aza.org/safe-species#andeanhighlandflamingo