Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE.Program Plan.2021-2023

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Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE Species Program

Three-Year Plan (2021-2023)

9 March 2021

Program Leaders Daniel Hilliard, Ph.D. and Sue Tygielski, Ph.D.

Table of Contents

Program Description

Background………………………………………………………………………………………. 3

Program Goal…………………………………………………………………………………….. 4

Program Operational Structure………………………………………………………………… 5

Conservation Targets…………………………………………………………………………… 6

Status of Taxa within AZA Community………………………………………………………... 6

AZA Conservation Activities……………………………………………………………………. 7

Andean Highland Flamingos Conservation Monitoring Program………………………… 8

AZA Public Awareness and Engagement Activities…………………………………………. 9

Species Status

Conservation Status…………………………………………………………………………….. 10

Recovery Plan or Conservation Plan in Effect……………………………………………….. 11

Threats……………………………………………………………………………………………. 12

Work Plan Objectives

Conservation Objectives……………………………………………………………………….. 13

Public / Stakeholder Objectives………………………………………………………………... 14

Communications/Public Awareness Objectives……………………………………………… 15

Funding Objectives……………………………………………………………………………… 16

Program Summary Tables

Tables…………………………………………………………………………………………….. 17-20

References

References……………………………………………………………………………………….. 21-24

2 Background

Their colorful plumage, gregarious behaviors, and flamboyant displays make flamingos crowd favorites at zoological facilities throughout the world. Chilean flamingos, one of three flamingo species native to South America’s Andean highlands, are featured prominently at more than sixty AZA accredited zoos and aquariums, and oftentimes used as awareness and ambassador animals. Their recognizable likenesses are also used to generate sales at gift stores and promote special events, celebrations, and environmental awareness days.

In the wild, Andean (Phoenicoparrus andinus), Chilean (Phoenicoparrus chilensis), and Puna (James’s) flamingos (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) are threatened by human activity throughout much of their geographic range, particularly in the Andean highlands of northern Chile. There, these three flamingo species cohabitate in flocks that concentrate in and around brackish, alkaline wetlands known as salars, where they feed on red algae and other microscopic organisms. The unique habitats provide important feeding, breeding, and nesting grounds for the birds and are critical to their survival. However, human activities such as mining and unregulated tourism have increasingly disturbed the salars upon which the three sympatric species of flamingo depend. As a result, Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos are now categorized as vulnerable by Chile’s environmental authorities, and as vulnerable or near threatened by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN).

The Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE species program was created in recognition of the ongoing threats to wild Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos and their habitat. The program plan draws upon the expertise and resources of AZA accredited facilities, range country partners, and affiliated interest groups, and its recommended actions are informed by existing recovery and conservation plans developed by range country stakeholders, organizations, and government authorities.

Andean Highland Flamingos SAFE invites and welcomes all interested AZA accredited zoos, aquariums, and certified-related facilities to become program partners.

Chilean flamingo (Zoológico Nacional de Chile, 2018).

3 Program Goal

The goal of the Andean Highland Flamingo (AHF) SAFE species program is to ensure sustainable populations of Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos throughout their geographic range in South America. AHF SAFE supports the recovery and conservation of these three species through research, monitoring, public engagement, targeted training, community outreach, and education programming.

In the first three-year plan, AHF SAFE focuses on the recovery and conservation of Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos in the Andean highlands of northern Chile. Specifically, the program will help fill research gaps and assist with the identification, prioritization, and designation of critical flamingo habitat in Chile’s northern Andean highlands. Priority program activities will be undertaken in support of the Chilean government’s Flamencos Altoandinos en el Norte de Chile: Estado Actual y Plan de Conservación (CONAF, 2005) and in coordination with range country authorities and partners.

AHF SAFE recognizes the threats facing Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos in other parts of their geographic range and supports the ongoing field research and public engagement activities of AZA member institutions in these areas. However, AHF SAFE recommends that any new support for Andean, Chilean, or Puna (James’s) flamingo conservation be directed toward achieving the priority research, recovery, and conservation goals outlined in this three-year plan.

AHF SAFE invites all AZA accredited zoological facilities to become program partners and support the aspirational goal of advancing research and protection of Andean highland flamingos and their habitat, and creating a recovery and conservation network that connects zoos and aquariums, range country partners, and flamingo enthusiasts around the world.

Salar de Surire, Chile (Zoológico Nacional de Chile, 2018)

4 Program Operational Structure

Affiliation Representative Title Contact Information

Program Leaders

Zoo Conservation Daniel Hilliard, PhD Executive Director [email protected] Outreach Group (301) 562-0777 ext. 244

Reid Park Zoo Sue Tygielski, PhD Director of Zoo [email protected] Operations (520) 827-8186

Program Partners - Steering Committee

Alexandria Zoo Lisa Laskowski General Curator [email protected] (318) 441-6835

Oklahoma City Zoo Holly Ray Chilean Flamingo [email protected] SSP Coordinator (405) 425-0276

Dallas Zoo Harrison Edell Chief Mission Officer [email protected] TAG Chair (469) 554-7201

Dickerson Park Zoo Mike Crocker Zoo Director [email protected] (417) 833-1570

Greenville Zoo Nick Kapustin Veterinarian [email protected] (864) 467-5748

Program Advisors

Zoologico Nacional Guillermo Cubillos Director of [email protected] de Chile Torres Conservation Science

IUCN Flamingo Paul Rose Co-Chair, Flamingo [email protected] Specialist Group Specialist Group

Reid Park Zoo Jennifer Stoddard Education Supervisor [email protected] (520) 837-8200

Greenville Zoo Lynn Watkins Education Curator [email protected] (864) 467-4850

Oklahoma City Zoo Candice Rennels Director of [email protected] and Botanical Garden Public Relations (405) 412-6172

AZA Wildlife Conservation Committee (WCC) Liaison

Oklahoma City Zoo Kevin Drees Director of [email protected] and Botanical Garden Animal Collections (405) 425-0604

5 Conservation Targets

The Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE species program focuses on the recovery and conservation of three flamingo species (Phoenicopteridae) found in South America: the Andean Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus andinus), Chilean Flamingo (Phoenicopterus chilensis), and Puna (James’s) Flamingo (Phoenicoparrus jamesi) throughout their range. The objectives for the 2021-2023 program plan focus specifically on populations found in the Andean highlands of northern Chile, due to their dramatic population declines, strong support of the national government for recovery, and the important role that salar habitat found in the area plays for all three species.

Status of Taxon Within the AZA Community

Chilean flamingos are managed under an AZA Species Survival Plan (SSP). A draft of the SSP’s most recent Population Analysis & Breeding and Transfer Plan lists 1,776 birds (837.769.170) held at 57 AZA member institutions1 (See Table 1). Neither Andean nor Puna (James’s) flamingos are currently managed at AZA zoos, aquariums, or certfied-related facilities.

The Ciconiiformes, Phoenicopteriformes, and Pelecaniformes Taxon Advisory Group (TAG) oversees the Chilean flamingo SSP and in its Regional Collection Plan (AZA, 2020) set a target population size of 1,950 birds for the program. Under AZA’s current sustainability designations, the Chilean flamingo SSP qualifies as a “Green” program. Program leaders of the Chilean flamingo SSP and Ciconiiformes, Phoenicopteriformes, and Pelecaniformes TAG participate on the Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE Steering Committee.

Table 1: AZA Facilities Holding Chilean Flamingos Africam Safari Park Greenville Zoo Phoenix Zoo Akron Zoological Park Henry Vilas Zoo Reid Park Zoo Alexandria Zoological Park Houston Zoo Roger Williams Park Zoo Blank Park Zoo Idaho Falls Zoo at Tautphaus Rolling Hills Zoo Park Brevard Zoo Indianapolis Zoological Society Rosamond Gifford Zoo Bronx Zoo John Ball Zoo San Antonio Zoological Society Busch Gardens—Tampa Kansas City Zoo San Diego Zoo Safari Park Caldwell Zoo Lee Richardson Zoo San Francisco Zoological Gardens Calgary Zoo Lincoln Park Zoo Santa Barbara Zoological Gardens Cleveland Metroparks Zoo Little Rock Zoo Scovill Zoo Como Park Zoo Los Angeles Zoo SeaWorld Orlando

1 The 27 October 2020 draft cites 55 holding facilities, but lists 57 in the document. Table 1 contains all 57 holding facilities.

6 Table 1: AZA Facilities Holding Chilean Flamingos (Cont.) Denver Zoo Louisville Zoological Garden Sea World San Antonio Detroit Zoo Memphis Zoo Sequoia Park Zoo Dickerson Park Zoo Milwaukee County Zoological Tracy Aviary Gardens Ellen Trout Zoo Nashville Zoo Turtle Back Zoo Fort Worth Zoo North Carolina Zoological Park Wildlife Safari Fundación Temaikèn Oceanografic Valencia Woodland Park Zoo Gladys Porter Zoo Oklahoma City Zoo and Garden Zoo Atlanta Great Plains Zoo & Delbridge Palm Beach Zoo Zoo New England, Franklin Museum of Natural History Park Zoo

AZA Conservation Activities

Neither the relevant SSP nor TAG have sponsored or supported any collaborative conservation efforts for Andean highland flamingos; Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE fills the gap. Individual AZA accredited facilities have supported field research and conservation –related activities for the three flamingo species for several decades. For 2018 and 2019, AZA’s Annual Report on Conservation and Science (ARCS) lists a total of $104,000 USD in conservation investments made by twelve AZA accredited facilities (AZA, 2018 and AZA, 2019; Table 2).

Table 2: AZA Financial Support for Andean Highland Flamingo Conservation (2018-2019) Year # of Reporting Institutions Investment Amount ($USD)

2018 8 $ 46,000

2019 10 $ 58,000

TOTAL $ 104,000

The list of reporting institutions for the period 2018-2019 includes:

• Abilene Zoological Gardens • Reid Park Zoo • Alexandria Zoological Park • San Antonio Zoological Society • Denver Zoo • Smithsonian National Zoological Park • Detroit Zoo • Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) • Dickerson Park Zoo • Woodland Park Zoo • Fort Worth Zoo • Zoo Miami Foundation • Nashville Zoo

Projects supported by the above-listed facilities include field research and conservation awareness efforts in Argentina, Bolivia, and Chile. Additionally, between 2006-2018, eight AZA facilities reported research projects for Chilean flamingo management, welfare, and care (AZA, 2019). These facilities include, Blank Park Zoo, Brevard Zoo, Dallas Zoo, Elmwood Park Zoo, Sequioa Park Zoo, Wildlife Safari, Woodland Park Zoo, and Zoo Atlanta (AZA, 2019).

7 Andean Highland Flamingos Conservation Monitoring Program

The Andean Highland Flamingos Conservation Monitoring Program is a multi-year research initiative to document movement patterns and habitat use of Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos to identify and designate priority habitat conservation areas for the three species. In response to increased threats to flamingo populations in Chile, the Zoológico Nacional de Chile, Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF), and Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG) launched a program in 2007 to document the health and conservation status of Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos. In 2017, the program expanded to include the first long-term satellite monitoring of flamingos in Chile. Building on preliminary results, the program is increasing its sample size of monitored birds to better document specific feeding, breeding, nesting, and resting locations, and prioritize for protection those habitat areas that might serve as biological corridors favoring genetic connectivity.

Since 2003, ZCOG, an AZA Conservation Partner and founding member of Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE, has conducted fundraising, grant-writing, and financial management for the Andean Highland Flamingos Conservation Monitoring Program. For the period 2003-2019, the group reports contributions from 15 AZA accredited zoological facilities and investments of over $50,000 USD in support of flamingo research and conservation efforts in Chile.

In early 2020, ZCOG and a Chilean video production team finalized work on an edited, English- language video about Andean highland flamingo conservation monitoring efforts in northern Chile. The video will be made available for use in Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE education, communication, public awareness, and fundraising activities.

Release of GPS tagged James’s flamingo in Salar de Surire, Chile. (Zoológico Nacional de Chile, 2018).

8 AZA Public Awareness Activities

The AZA community’s interest in flamingo conservation is evident by its enthusiastic support of public awareness activities, such as International Flamingo Day and National Pink Flamingo Day, celebrated annually on April 26th and June 23rd, respectively.

Launched on April 26, 2020, International Flamingo Day is organized by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Flamingo Specialist Group (FSG) and designed to spread awareness about flamingos and their conservation status worldwide. Many AZA member facilities held special flamingo-themed events on the newly created International Flamingo Day and promoted the date on their social media, although the exact number that did so is currently unknown. Andean Highland Flamingos SAFE has set a goal of engaging at least half of Chilean flamingo SSP holding facilities (i.e., 29 of 57) in International Flamingo Day by 2023.

Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust and IUCN Flamingo Specialist Group (WWT, 2020).

In 2007, Dean Mazzaralla, Mayor of Leominster, Massachussetts, declared National Pink Flamingo Day to celebrate the pink, plastic lawn flamingo and honor its creator, Don Featherstone (savetheflamingos.org, 2020). Since then, the day has been used by many AZA accredited zoos and aquariums to celebrate flamingos and raise awareness and funds for their conservation. In 2018 and 2019, ZCOG, Audubon Zoo, and the New Orleans restaurant Flamingo A Go-Go, partnered on a weekend-long Flamingo Fest event to raise awareness and funds for flamingo conservation and monitoring in Chile.

Flamingo Fest 2019 promotion. (Flamingo A Go-Go, 2019).

9 Conservation Status of Taxa

Since the mid-1980s, increased human activities, such as intensive mining and unregulated tourism, have disturbed the wetland—salar—habitat upon which the Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James's) flamingos depend for feeding, breeding, and nesting, especially in Chile's northern Andean highlands. As a result, populations of all three species are considered vulnerable or near threatened across their geographic range.

According to the Chilean government’s Flamencos Altoandinos en el Norte de Chile: Estado Actual y Plan de Conservación, the Andean flamingo has the lowest estimated population of the three species with a population of 40,000 individuals, the Puna (James’s) has an estimated global population of 120,000 individuals, and Chilean flamingo has an estimated population of over 200,000 individuals. Andean and Chilean flamingos are also cited as possessing the most irregular and highest reproduction rates of the three flamingo species, respectively (Rodríguez, Eduardo (ed.), 2005).

All three Andean highland flamingo species are categorized as vulnerable by Chile's Ministry of the Environment, and as vulnerable (VU) or near threatened (NT) by the International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The three species are also listed under Appendix II of the Convention on the International Trade of Engendered Species (CITES). Andean flamingos are protected under the United States (US) Endangered Species Act, but other regulations that protect some flamingo species, like the Migratory Bird Act for American flamingos, do not apply to Andean, Chilean, or Puna (James’s) flamingos.

Table 3: Conservation Status of Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) Flamingos Common Name Scientific Name ESA Status IUCN Red List Status

Andean flamingo Phoenicoparrus andinus Endangered Vulnerable (VU)

Chilean flamingo Phoenicopterus chilensis Not Near threatened (NT) Applicable

Puna (James's) Phoenicoparrus jamesi Not Near threatened (NT) flamingo Applicable

10 Recovery Plan(s)

The Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE three-year program plan implements recommended recovery and conservation actions contained in the Chilean government’s Flamencos Altoandinos en el Norte de Chile: Estado Actual y Plan de Conservación.

Published in 2005 by the Corporación Nacional Forestal (CONAF; National Forest Corporation), the document is a collaboration of Chilean governmental and nonprofit entities, international partners, and national stakeholders, including the private mining sector, academia, and indigenous communities. The publication presents a plan for the recovery and conservation of Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos in Chile, based principally on: strengthening the control of threats to reproduction in the country’s Andean highland salars; encouraging research on applied habitat management; strengthening the integration of conservation in national and international sectors; and proactive application of international agreements to control threats and monitor populations.

Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE’s three-year program plan assists the Chilean Ministry of the Environment and CONAF in achieving goals established in their Flamencos Altoandinos en el Norte de Chile: Estado Actual y Plan de Conservación, specifically with respect to applied research to inform habitat protection and management and integrating conservation into business operations in the area (e.g., responsible tourism). To achieve plan goals, Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE will work in active collaboration with two principal Chilean partners, CONAF and the Zoológical Nacional de Chile. Representatives from CONAF and the Zoo will also serve as informal and formal advisors, respectively, to the Andean Highland Flamingos SAFE species program, and members of their staffs will lead in-country research, community outreach, and education program efforts, assuring that relevant governing authorities will have full access to the SAFE program’s research findings.

Andean Highland Flamingos SAFE’s Steering Committee recommends that the AZA community direct financial support and human resources toward achieving the priority research, recovery, and conservation goals outlined in Chile’s Flamencos Altoandinos en el Norte de Chile: Estado Actual y Plan de Conservación and in AHF SAFE’s three-year plan. Committee members and program partners invite AZA members that have worked in other parts of the three species geographic range to lend their expertise to this effort to maximize conservation impact..

11 Threats

The principal threat to Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos is the alteration of their habitat throughout their range in South America. Of particular concern are human impacts to the brackish, alkaline wetlands known as salars, which are important feeding, breeding, and nesting grounds for the three sympatric species of flamingos. In the Andean highlands of northern Chile and neighboring countries, mining and unregulated tourism constitute the principal human activities that have led to habitat disturbance and flamingo population declines. Climate change has also been implicated as a major driver of the degradation and loss of flamingo habitat.

Lithium, borax, and heavy metal (e.g., copper) mining in the Andean highlands are major threats because they disrupt flamingo habitat by reducing water levels and quality. Lithium mining can be particularly harmful to flamingo habitat because its mineral extraction processes require significant quantities of water to be pulled out of the brackish salars, with the net result being less wetland habitat for flamingo feeding, breeding, and nesting.

Unregulated tourism is another threat to Andean highland flamingos and their habitat. In areas where tourist activities are either uncontrolled or unmonitored, flamingo nesting habitat can be altered or damaged, and flamingo adults and chicks disturbed or harassed during breeding and feeding, reducing reproductive productivity.

More recently, climate change has been identified as negatively impacting water levels of the flamingos’ wetland habitat, resulting in extreme conditions (e.g., flooding, excessive runoff, and drought) unfavorable for flamingo feeding, breeding, and nesting. Research also suggests that flamingos travel at night and use these wetland ponds and lakes as navigation tools. As such, significant changes to habitat may affect the flamingos’ ability to navigate effectively when in search of food, breeding, or resting locations.

In the 1980s, the extraction of flamingo eggs from their nests for commerical purposes was considered a threat to Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos in Chile, as egg consumption was significant in urban and rural centers of the highland regions of Tarapaca and Antofagasta (Rodríguez, Eduardo (ed.), 2005). However, as of 2005, Chilean governmental authorities listed the threat as ‘strongly controlled.’ In Argentina and Bolivia, feather and egg collection for local consumption continue to be identified as threats.

Salar de Surire, Chile (Zoológico Nacional de Chile, 2018)

12 Work Plan Objectives

Work Plan objectives are broken into four categories: conservation, public and stakeholder, communication and public awareness, and funding. Some objectives will be achieved by two or more categories working towards the same goal. Objectives are described below and outlined in table format at the end of this section. Strategic goals are listed with numbers that correspond to those in the tables on pages 17-20.

Conservation Objectives

Objective 1 is to capture and tag with solar GPS units up to thirty flamingos—ten of each species—over a three-year period2 (1.1). Each year, up to 10 GPS units will be purchased, delivered to range country partners, and prepared for deployment. At least two field campaigns will be held each year, and reseach teams will capture and tag (1.2) as many flamingos as possible, and collect biological and health data from the birds (1.3).

Objective 2 is to map and analyze movement and habitat use data from the solar GPS units affixed to individual flamingos. Data from the GPS units will be collected, mapped with open- source GIS software, and then analyzed by project investigators. Analysis results will be reported to Chile’s Ministry of the Environment and CONAF to inform the designation and protection of priority conservation areas for flamingos and support Chile’s Andean highland flamingo conservation plan (Rodríguez, Eduardo (ed.), 2005). Additional data analysis of individual bird activity will be undertaken to complement the body of knowledge about the species’s movement patterns (e.g., flight speeds, distance traveled, duration spent at specific feeding, breeding, and nesting sites).

Microwave Telemetry solar GPS satellite tags used for flamingo monitoring (Zoológico Nacional de Chile, 2018).

2 Six (6) Puna (James’s) flamingos were captured in December 2018 and their GPS units are already returning movement data.

13 Public and Stakeholder Engagement Objectives

Public and stakeholder engagement efforts (objective 3) will focus on protecting flamingo feeding, breeding, and nesting sites from human disturbance—goals outlined in Chile’s Andean Highland Flamingo National Conservation Plan (Rodríguez, Eduardo (ed.), 2005). The target audiences for these efforts will be Chilean tourism operators, field guides, and international and national tourists that visit flamingo habitat. Tourism is an important source of revenue for many local communities, and can benefit wildlife and habitat conservation if done with minimal disturbance. Training workshops for tour operators and field guides will be developed in coordination with staff from the Zoológico Nacional de Chile and Servicio Nacional de Turismo (SENATUR). The workshops will include an overview of highland ecology and conservation, with an emphasis on flamingo conservation; instruction in non-invasive monitoring and map reading methods to identify strategic locations for flamingo-safe tourist interactions; and information on how to best promote wildlife viewing and ecotourism without disturbing or harming flamingos or their habitat (3.1). A post-workshop tour of flamingo viewing sites in the Monumento Natural Salar de Suriré will be included to help participants develop guide routes, practice environmental interpretation techniques, and rehearse educational activities that can be used during guided tours. Pre and post-training surveys will be conducted prior to and 6 & 12 months after the workshop(s) to gauge changes in guide skills, knowledge, and attitudes.

Action item 3.2 involves the development and installation of interpretive signage to promote community pride in flamingos and guide responsible tourist activities near flamingo habitat. The AHF Education Committee, Zoológico Nacional, and SENATUR staff will work with communities to develop educational and interpretive signage for display at the project site. Signage will incorporate local language and symbols regarding the sacred nature of the altiplano landscape and its species, and its impact will be evaluated with guest surveys and visitor observations.

Implementing tour guide training and installing interpretive trail signage for on-site visitors will help advance the goals of Chile’s flamingo recovery plan by reducing disturbances to flocks and decreasing human impact on their habitat, particularly in areas where ecotourism occurs.

Nesting Chilean flamingo at Reid Park Zoo (Reid Park Zoo, 2020).

14 Communication and Public Awareness Objectives

Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE’s communication and public awareness objectives are to develop and provide a flamingo conservation messaging toolkit to program partners, promote consumer behaviors that reduce threats to flamingos, and increase AZA member engagement in International Flamingo Day.

The Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE Education Committee, staff from the Zoológico Nacional de Chile, and program partners will work together to develop a communication and public awareness toolkit. The toolkit’s messaging content will focus on protecting flamingo feeding, breeding, and nesting habitat from human disturbance (Objective 4). Additionally, the toolkit will include instructions for effectively communicating threats and solutions, materials for use on social media, and support for evalutating the impact of conservation messaging activities.

Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE’s Education Committee will develop metrics to evaluate the success of its communications activities and measure the adoption of consumer behaviors that reduce three key threats. Threats and solutions will focus on reducing: 1) mining impacts on flamingo habitat by promoting heavy metal recycling, lithium recycling, and water reduction technologies for lithium mining; 2) human contributions to global climate change by promoting activities that visitors can do to decrease personal contributions to this threat; and 3) demand for illegal egg and feather harvesting by promoting pride and respect for the birds. Flamingo Specialist Group, 2020

An additional objective is to increase AZA member participation in International Flamingo Day in order to increase awareness of and support for flamingo conservation (4.7). Celebrating species awareness days at AZA accredited zoos, aquariums, and certified-related facilities can help draw attention to a species and the threats to its survival, promote behaviors that reduce threats, and raise funds for range country conservation and research activities. Andean Highland Flamingos SAFE has set a goal of engaging at least half of Chilean flamingo SSP holding facilities (i.e., 29 of 57 AZA member holding facilities) in International Flamingo Day by 2023. Increased AZA member facility participation in this IUCN –sanctioned day is a way of building support for flamingo conservation and galvinizing public acion to reduce of eliminate threats to the species’ long-term survival.

15 Funding Objectives

Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE’s main funding objective is to secure sufficient financial resources to support budgeted program activities over a three-year period (Objective 5). To secure funding, Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE has established annual contribution levels of $5,000 USD and $2,500 USD for its Steering Committee and program partners (5.1), respectively, and set a goal of attracting five new program partners during each year of the three-year plan. Additionally, the program will promote flamingo-centric fundraising events, celebrations, and awareness days, like National Pink Flamingo Day, particularly among Chilean flamingo SSP holding facilities (5.3). Zoo Conservation Outreach Group (ZCOG) will serve as the holder of Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE’s dedicated fund.

Greenville Zoo sippin’ safari fundraiser flyer (Greenville Zoo, 2017)

National Pink Flamingo Day flyer (Flamingo A Go-Go, 2018)

National Pink Flamingo Day celebration in New Orleans, Louisiana (Flamingo A Go-Go, 2019)

16 Program Summary Tables: Andean Highland Flamingos SAFE

Conservation Objectives

During its inaugural 3-year program plan, Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE’s main conservation objective will be to support the recovery and conservation of Andean, Chilean, and Puna (James’s) flamingos in northern Chilean through research and monitoring.

Strategic Objective 1: Capture and tag with solar GPS units up to ten flamingos of each species over a three-year period.

Number Action Metric Year Year Year AZA Members Field Partners Budget 1 2 3

1.1 Purchase and deliver Number of solar GPS tags 10 10 4 ZCOG, RPZ, and Zoo Nacional de $102,000 solar GPS tags to field purchased and delivered to field AZA program Chile partners in Chile. researchers in Chile. partners 1.2 Conduct capture and Number of capture and tagging 2 2 2 ZCOG, RPZ, and Zoo Nacional de $30,000 tagging campaigns in campaigns per year. AZA program Chile & CONAF Chile. partners 1.3 Collect biological and Number of flamingos from which 10 10 4 ZCOG, Zoo Nacional de N/A health data during biological and health samples are Greenville Zoo Chile & CONAF capture and tagging. secured.

Strategic Objective 2: Download, analyze, map, and report flamingo movement and habitat use data.

2.1 Satellite data downloads Monthly downloading of satellite 12 12 12 N/A Zoo Nacional de $95,000 and mapping. data and movement & habitat use Chile mapping. 2.2 Data analysis, mapping, Annual reporting of data and 1 1 1 ZCOG Zoo Nacional de $3,000 and reporting to CONAF. mapping to Chilean environmental Chile authorities. 2.3 Annual conservation Annual conservation activities report 1 1 1 ZCOG Zoo Nacional de N/A report to Steering to Andean Highland Flamingos Chile Committee. SAFE Steering Committee. 2.4 3-year report to CONAF Report of 3-year data analysis, 1 ZCOG Zoo Nacional de N/A mapping, and priority conservation Chile areas to CONAF.

KEY:

AZA Association of Zoos & Aquariums RPZ Reid Park Zoo ZCOG Zoo Conservation Outreach Group CONAF Corporación Nacional Forestal de Chile SENATUR Servicio Nacional de Turismo

17 Public and Stakeholder Engagement Objectives

Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE’s public and stakeholder engagement objective is to help protect flamingo feeding, breeding, and nesting habitat from human disturbance.

Strategic Objective 3: Protect flamingo feeding, breeding, and nesting sites through public and stakeholder engagement actions.

Number Action Metric Year Year Year AZA Members Field Partners Budget 1 2 3 3.1.1 Identify tourist Number of companies, operators 1 1 ZCOG, RPZ Zoo Nacional de N/A companies, operators, and guides identified for training. Chile & SENATUR and guides for training. 3.1.2 Develop flamingo SAFE Number of course(s) successfully 1 1 ZCOG, RPZ Zoo Nacional de N/A tourist operator and guide developed. Chile & SENATUR training course. 3.1.3 Conduct flamingo SAFE Number of courses held and 2 2 ZCOG, RPZ Zoo Nacional de $15,0001 tourist operator and guide number of participants trained. Chile & SENATUR training course. 3.1.4 Evaluate flamingo SAFE Evaluation of course impact to take 1 1 ZCOG, RPZ Zoo Nacional de $2,500 tourist operator and guide place 6 and 12 months after each Chile & SENATUR training course. course.

3.2.1 Design and install Number of signs developed and 5 5 ZCOG, RPZ, Zoo Nacional de $5,000 interpretive signage to installed on park trails in Education Chile, CONAF & promote community pride coordination with local community Committee local communities in flamingos and guide groups, park authorities, and range responsible tourist country partners. activities near flamingo habitat. 3.2.2 Develop and conduct Number of surveys conducted and 1 1 ZCOG, RPZ, Zoo Nacional de N/A surveys on the impact of responses received. Education Chile, CONAF & interpretive signage in Committee local communities parks with flamingo habitat.

KEY:

AZA Association of Zoos & Aquariums RPZ Reid Park Zoo ZCOG Zoo Conservation Outreach Group CONAF Corporación Nacional Forestal de Chile SENATUR Servicio Nacional de Turismo

N/A = not applicable or budget figure not currently available.

Footnotes: 1 Includes budget for developing tourist operator training course and identifying participants.

18 Communication and Public Awareness Objective(s)

Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE’s 3-year communication and public awareness objective is to promote messaging and behaviors that support the protection of flamingo feeding, breeding and nesting habitat in northern Chile. Principal actions in support of the objective will be to develop and deliver a flamingo conservation messaging toolkit to program partners, promote consumer behaviors that reduce threats to flamingos and their habitat, and increase AZA member engagement in International Flamingo Day.

Strategic Objective 4: Protect flamingo feeding, breeding, and nesting habitat through communication and public awareness actions.

Number Action Metric Year Year Year AZA Members Field Partners Budget 1 2 3 4.1 Develop and provide pilot Toolkit developed and offered to 1 1 Education Zoo Nacional de $500 toolkit materials for heavy program partners. Committee Chile metal and lithium mining messaging. 4.2 Develop and provide Toolkit developed and offered to 1 1 Education Zoo Nacional de $500 toolkit focused on program partners. Committee Chile reducing human activities that contribute to global climate change. 4.3 Develop and provide pilot Toolkit developed and offered to 1 1 Education Zoo Nacional de toolkit focused on program partners. Committee Chile eliminating commercial use of flamingo eggs and feathers and combatting wildlife trafficking. 4.4 Develop and provide pilot Toolkit developed and offered to 1 1 Education Zoo Nacional de $500 toolkit materials focused program partners. Committee Chile on responsible tourism. 4.5 Develop and provide Number of program partners and 1 1 1 Education Zoo Nacional de toolkit materials for AZA accredited facilities that Committee Chile International Flamingo promote and hold celebrations for Day activities. International Flamingo Day 4.6 Evaluate toolkit materials. Ongoing evaluation of materials by 1 1 1 Program partners Zoo Nacional de Education Committee and partners. Chile 4.7 Promote AZA member Engage at least half of Chilean 9 10 10 Program partners Zoo Nacional de facility involvement in flamingo SSP holding facilities (i.e., Chile International Flamingo 29 of 57 AZA member facilities) in Day International Flamingo Day by 2023.

KEY:

Education Committee Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE Education Committee (Grenville Zoo, Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, Reid Park Zoo)

19 Funding Objectives

Andean Highland Flamingo SAFE’s main funding objective is to secure sufficient financial resources to support budgeted program activities over a three-year period.

Strategic Objective 5: Secure sufficient financial resources to support budgeted program activities.

Number Action Metric Year Year Year AZA Members Field Partners Budget 1 2 3 5.1 Establish and maintain The Andean Highland Flamingo X X X Steering N/A annual contribution levels SAFE Steering Committee is Committee for Steering Committee recommending annual contribution and program partners. levels of $5,000 USD for Steering Committee institutions and $2,500 USD per year for program partners. 5.2 Attract 15 new program The Andean Highland Flamingo 5 5 5 Steering N/A partners between 2021- Steering Committee will work to add Committee and 2023. a total of 15 new program partners program partners during the 3-year program plan period. The Committee will focus efforts on AZA accredited facilities holding Chilean flamingos in their animal collections 5.3 Identify the number of Engage at least half of Chilean 9 10 10 Steering N/A AZA accredited facilities flamingo SSP holding facilities (i.e., Committee, holding annual flamingo- 29 of 57 AZA member facilities) in program centric awareness and National Pink Flamingo Day or other partners, and fundraising events; work flamingo fundraising events or AZA accredited with facilities to develop celebrations by 2023. zoological and promote flamingo- facilities, centric fundraising specifically events, celebrations, and Chilean flamingo awareness days (e.g., holding facilities. National Pink Flamingo Day).

KEY:

AZA Association of Zoos & Aquariums RPZ Reid Park Zoo ZCOG Zoo Conservation Outreach Group CONAF Corporación Nacional Forestal de Chile SENATUR Servicio Nacional de Turismo

N/A = Fundraising estimates have not been set due to the ongoing economic and donor base impact of the global Covid-19 pandemic. The program will reassess fundraising estimates after calendar year 2021 and adjust budget figures.

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