Exploring New Conservation Opportunities for the Red Siskin

We are excited to share that, thanks to support from the Van Tienhoven Foundation, we carried out fieldwork in a new location in western Venezuela in 2026, alongside local communities, in an area with strong potential to serve as suitable habitat for the red siskin as revealed by our past research in habitat modeling. As part of the project, we interviewed 40 community members to better understand local land-use practices, the main threats facing the species, and opportunities to develop community-based conservation strategies.

Our findings revealed that agricultural expansion is one of the greatest threats to habitat conservation in the area. We estimated that the local deforestation rate ranges between 14 and 42 hectares per year, a trend that could reduce landscape connectivity and degrade nesting habitat for many bird species, including the red siskin. At the same time, we identified growing interest among local producers in transitioning to shade-grown coffee, a production system that can enhance landscape connectivity and serve as a biological corridor for birds. However, our assessments also revealed that crop productivity is being limited by pests and plant diseases. In response, we launched an agroecological training program and provided biological inputs to support sustainable crop management, promoting productive alternatives that help reduce pressure on surrounding forests.

The study also highlighted the community’s close relationship with forest resources. Sixty-seven percent of participants reported collecting firewood, fruits, medicinal plants, construction materials, and natural resources for traditional handicrafts from natural forests. Although no bird hunting for food was reported during the interviews, field observations and informal conversations documented the cultural use of several bird species and their feathers in traditional clothing and handicrafts. These findings underscore the importance of further understanding the cultural use of bird species while strengthening outreach and awareness efforts to ensure that the Red Siskin is not incorporated into these practices or captured for the local wildlife trade.

Despite ongoing cultural change, the study also revealed an important opportunity for conservation. Fifty-nine percent of participants described a spiritual connection with birds and identified several species as sacred or protective. This strong cultural connection provides a valuable foundation for promoting the red siskin as a local flagship species, integrating its conservation with traditional ecological knowledge, territorial stewardship, and the active participation of Indigenous communities.