Asociación Armonía

Asociación Armonía is Bolivia's BirdLife International partner and the country's leading bird conservation NGO, refounded in its current form in 2002 by ornithologist Sebastian K. Herzog. It operates a network of private nature reserves built around individual flagship endemics, most famously Barba Azul in the Beni savanna (the only protected habitat of the Blue-throated Macaw) and the Red-fronted Macaw Reserve in the inter-Andean dry valleys. Though not a conventional tour company, Armonia hosts visiting birders directly through ecolodges at its reserves, with prices that include meals and Quechua-speaking community guides. The Red-fronted Macaw lodge accommodates up to 14 guests; Barba Azul has cabins and glamping for around a dozen visitors and is reached by charter flight from Trinidad. All ecotourism revenue flows back into reserve management and community partnerships. Armonia also publishes the standard Birds of Bolivia field guide and maintains the birdsofbolivia.org reference site, which makes it the de facto information hub for visiting birders even when they book through a separate tour operator.