is important to The Parrot Society
conservation
As part of its commitment to parrots and their welfare, and under the terms of its constitution as a charitable organisation, The Parrot Society UK sets aside a percentage of its funds to support financially several worthwhile conservation projects around the world.
At present several projects are regularly supported – Scarlet macaws in Costa Rica, the ‘tinning’ of trees to protect cockatoo nest sites in Australia, corn supplementation to aid Lear’s macaws in Brazil, Grey-breasted parakeets (conures), the Vinaceous Amazon parrot, and the Reserve Ecologica de Guapiacu (REGUA) also all in Brazil.
The Parrot Society UK
Endangered Parrots
Most publicised conservation support is ‘ex situ’ – i.e. outside of Parrot Society activities, and generally outside of the UK, and involves the sending of funds following specific requests, to projects that have been well-researched, and for which we obtain useful feedback in the form of reports and pictures for our magazine and website.
World-renowned photographer Tim Flach expresses it well by saying “…we cannot just pluck animals from their native environment and put them on an ark to protect their future, without considering the significance of the habitat they have been taken from. Community-based conservation, therefore, has a more important role to play now than ever before; with increasing economic inequality in the world, it can enable people to maintain their livelihoods while protecting their natural heritage.” These are exactly to type of projects outside of the UK that the Parrot Society likes to support. Examples are listed below.
There is also considerable ‘in situ’ conservation of endangered parrots carried out by PSUK members, by way of the captive-breeding of many such endangered species. This maintains, and in many cases increases, the numbers of these birds in existence, with the aim of keeping the species alive, and potentially providing a nucleus of birds that could be re-habilitated to their natural environments, provided such places are available and free of predators or further habitat destruction.
What we fund
Criteria for support
Projects employing avicultural techniques and expertise as well as habitat restoration measures are to be preferred. The PSUK also works in partnership with other organisations, such as the World Parrot Trust.
However the PS should not accept proposals which involve financially supporting infra-structure for eco-tourism. This is a matter for the businesses involved. The support of such projects should enhance the reputation of the Parrot Society. All supported projects should provide regular feedback reports, preferably with photographic material to be published in the Society’s magazine. We welcome requests to support suitable projects.
Please submit details of the organisation and a brief description of the conservation project to our secretary, Les Rance – les.rance@theparrotsocietyuk.org – or our chairman, Dave Dickason – chairman@theparrotsocietyuk.org. Include a description of precisely what the funding would be used for, and how much would be required.
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Conservation Projects
The Night Parrot in Australia
This elusive bird has been the subject of previous attention and publication by the Parrot Society UK, but a recent application for funding from Conservation Partners in Australia has resulted in the following award and feedback: The Night Parrot (Pezoporus...
Lovebirds in Malawi
The Parrot Society already has become involved in conservation projects in Africa, via Rowan Martin and the World Parrot Trust, with highly successful co-ordination and rehabilitation of African grey parrots confiscated from smugglers in the Democratic Republic of...
Fuerte’s (Indigo-winged) Parrot in Colombia
This summary received from Mark Hall: Fuerte’s Parrot (Hapalopsittaca fuertesi - also known as Indigo-winged parrot) is an endemic species to Colombia and one of the rarest bird species in the country. It is found exclusively in the temperate...
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The Parrots Final Flight EXTINCTION! ©By R.J. McMillan It is no longer than half a century ago that the Naturalists of the world began to employ the concept of extinction to the twentieth century phenomenon caused by the effect of human activity on the worlds...
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