Blue-Headed Macaw      The blue-headed macaw (Ara couloni) inhabits humid lowland evergreen forest and river drainages in eastern Peru, northwestern Bolivia, and extreme western Brazil. The species has always been considered uncommon to rare, and is regarded as one of the most difficult macaws to see in the wild. The few first-hand estimates from reliable researchers place the total known population at 100-200 birds, with numbers in the low thousandsconsidered possible but highly speculative.This macaw has a very limited area of distribution that is being affected by logging in Bolivia. The species has a very low reproductive success rate and recent field surveys showed that only one pair in ten were observed feeding a single young. Until 1995 the species was virtually unknown in legal international trade. Brazil and Bolivia forbid the export of this species and only 16 specimens were exported by Peru from 1983 to 1999. However, recent years have seen a dramatic increase in trade in this species, both on national and international markets.        Hundreds of blue-headed macaws have been sold in Brazilian markets and it is also common in markets in Bolivia. Not much is known about its use in Peru, although some exports have occurred from this country. In 1997 alone, 47 blue-headed macaws were exported or re-exported. Another 60 specimens were exported in 1999 and 2000. This echoes experience with the blue-throated macaw (Ara glaucogularis), reduced to a wild population of less than 100 birds within 20 years of the onset of trade in the 1970s. There is also evidence of a growing illegal trade.      Although the species is bred in captivity in Europe, it is believed that the great majority of blue-headed macaws in Europe come from illegal stock. A shipment of 50 birds was smuggled from Russia into the Czech Republic and Slovakia in 1990. More than 150 blue-headed macaws, of unknown origin, are known to be in captivity in those countries. In 2001, Germany confiscated 30 specimens. Because of their rarity, blue-headed macaws command high prices on international markets, with collectors paying as much as US$12,500 in some European countries. Scientists have demonstrated a strong direct correlation between high market values and illegal trade in parrots. Without the additional protection afforded by CITES Appendix I, the growing popularity of this species among collectors, and the strong financial incentives to poach for international markets could quickly drive the blue-headed macaw to extinction. Consistent with the CITES      Listing Criteria set forth in Resolution Conf. 9.24, the precautionary principle dictates that to the extent that there is scientific uncertainty regarding the status of this species, the Parties should act in the best interest of the conservationof the species. In light of the very lowreproductive rate of the blue-headed macaw, itslimited area of distribution, its vulnerability to both