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Dr. David Waugh, formerly Director of Loro Parque Fundación and now Correspondent for the Fundación, wrote this very interesting article for Parrots magazine. It deals with the problem caused by the expanding Lear´s Macaw population in Bahia foraging in the maize plantations of small local farmers. The farmers grow the crop to feed their families and sell any surplus for additional income. The Lear´s Macaws forage in the maize plantations because of the lack of their normal foodstuff such as the palm nuts of the licuri palm. Unfortunately the farmers´ livestock, particularly goats, eat the saplings of the licuri palm and other vegetation. Some 10 years ago the Corn Replacement Project was set up to assess the damage and compensate the farmers with vouchers to exchange for maize so they did not shoot the macaws. This is, however, clearly not a long term solution. David Waugh´s article explains the situation in depth.