PROMOTING HIGH STANDARDS IN PARROT CONSERVATION AVICULTURE AND WELFARE .9ke CJfJo4ld9aMOt!2Uut Vol.7 No. 3 August 1995- WORLD PARROTTRUSTOOSTS PARROTSUMMIT New action plan initiative agreed By Michael Reynolds. It is nearly three years since a draft birds survive. producing a series of action plans from Australia, and Mike Perrin 'Parrot Action Plan' ground to a Into this scene came Rod Hall for the pheasants. Rod pointed out came in from South Africa. The halt, after substantial differences of MBE,who created British Airways how damaging it was to parrot meeting took place on 27 and 28 view between groups of scientists Assisting Conservation (BMC), conservation for there to be no June at the Croydon Park Hotel, could not be resolved. The main which for more than twelve years agreed plan for them, and offered London. areas of disagreement revolved has provided transport of people BMC's help with a meeting of the The attendees voted Joe Forshaw around questions relating to the and cargo to help a number of various parrot experts. What a to be chairman, and the minutes of concept of 'sustainable yield' as it international conservation wonderful offer! the meeting record the very positive refers to wild-caught parrots, plus organisations. Rod discovered WPT From our base in Cornwall, UK, discussions which took place. Two the contribution that captive four years ago, and has helped us we set to work, speaking to parrot working groups were formed, one breeding can make towards the with flights to Mauritius, Brazil, the specialists and organisations, and dealing with the new plan's conservation of parrots in the wild. Caribbean, and the United States also~to such august bodies as lUCN production process and The World Parrot Trust had plus a multitude of animal and (the World Conservation Union), and administrative details, the other helped the process involved in material cargos. You can imagine BirdLife International, which had with basic biological issues and creating the frustrated Action Plan, the immense help this has been to a taken a leading role in the previous scientific/technical matters. and regretted the lack of an small, new and impoverished draft Parrot Action Plan. We As the meeting went on it internationally agreed document on charity trying to help a family of invited representatives from the became clear that when people of parrot conservation which would be birds which occurs around the Association for Parrot Conservation expertise, commitment and a reliable and regularly updated globe. (APC),which represents parrot goodwill meet face to face, it is source of reference for information BMC had recently assisted the experts from the Americas (see possible to find agreement on on the status of threatened species World Pheasant Association with Psitta5cene Vo1.5NoA, November issues which are difficult to resolve and the measures recommended for flights to a global conference in 1993 for more detail). We at long distance. their preservation. Such an China, which was concerned with persuaded Joe Forshaw to come To put it as simply as possible, authoritative plan would be bound to focus attention, study, and funding in a way beneficial to all the parrots. The World Parrot Trust sees itself as being 'on the side of the parrots'; advocates for their survival in the wild and their welfare in captivity. Weput these concerns far above all other considerations, in particular such human frailties as the pursuit of profit or the enjoyment of academic disputes. 50 while the Action Plan impasse continued, the Trust went on its way, investigating situations where parrots were in trouble, reporting them in PsittaScene, and doing its best to fund work to help these " psittacine (sifa sin) Belonging or allied to the parrots; parrot-like " Design createdfor our award-winning Paraguay Ecobusby 'Ysanne',seearticle on pages 10 and 11. 1 EDITOR: Rosemary Low, (From L to R) Noel Snyder (APC), lames Gilardi (APC), Alejandro Grajal (APC), Nigel Collar (BirdLife), foe Forshaw, Phi! McGowan The World Parrot Trust, (seated), Rod Hall (BAAC), Frank Lambert auCN), Mariano Gimenez-Dixon (WCN), Mike Perrin (seated), David Waugh (WPT), Roland Glanmor House, Hayle, Wirth (lGAP), Mike Reynolds (11PT). Other attendees were: CoUn Bibby (BirdLife), Andrew Greenwood (11PT), CharUe Munn (WPT). Cornwall TR27 4HY, U.K. the net result was that agreement that. It seems virtually certain that Parrot Trust incurred £3000 of was reached to proceed with a new IUCNwill publish and distribute the expenses in arranging the meeting. CONTENTS: Parrot Action Plan. A coordinating plan as part of their series of action I would like to emphasise that committee will be formed, plans. Funding for the preparation this new Parrot Action Plan is World Parrot Trust consisting of one representative of the plan has to be found, and this intended to encompass all available will need about Hosts Parrot Summit, each from IUCN,BirdLife knowledge about the parrots of the New action plan International, APC, and WPT.This $30000. The only offer towards this world, together with initiativeagreed 1&2 committee will appoint one or amount came from the World Parrot recommendations for action to help more central compilers and three Trust, which can provide $5000, their survival. It is everybody's New appointment for regional compilers, one each for subject to adequate total funding plan, and when we have our DavidWaugh 2 Neotropics; Afrotropics; and Asia, coming from other sources. The compilers in place we will invite Australasia and the Pacific. These Trust has also agreed to supply contributions from every possible Ecology and regional compilers will draw upon secretarial and coordinating source. In addition to information Conservation of the the expertise of all available services for the project. and expertise, we will need actual Req;tailedAmazon 3-5 contributors, and will provide Rod Hall of BAsays that this cash to cover the costs of The Parrot introductions to 'set the scene' and new initiative is far and away the compilation, so please consider Phenomenon 6&7 identify particular regional most important challenge whether you or any organisation problems. The central compiler(s) undertaken by WPT.All readers you are connected with, would like will contribute discussions on all should note that British Airways to have a part in funding this very key issues affecting global parrot have donated around £20000worth important task. Building the House of conservation. of flights to get this initiative under For further information, please Macaws, creating a A maximum timescale of way - please remember BA's long contact:- World Parrot Trust, World Parrot Trust eighteen months was agreed for the term commitment to supporting Glanmor House, Hayle, Cornwall Eco-bus at long completion of the new action plan, conservation when making your TR27 4HY U.K. distance 10&11 although it is hoped to improve on own travel arrangements. The World Action Pages 12&13 International News 14 NEWAPPOINTMENT Parrots in the Wild 16 FORDAVID WAUGU Regular readers of this newsletter present time we are still working will be aware of the important on how best we might be able to work carried out for The World assist in the protection of a Membersof Parrot Trust by Dr. David Waugh. remnant population in Ecuador. Over the past two years he has David has been offered, and helped us as a consultant on a case has accepted, a most interesting by case basis, and investigated and position as Scientific Director of IUCN DavidringinganA.barbadensison TheWorld ConservationUnion reported on a number of parrot the Loro Parque Foundation. In conservation situations. Notable that role he will be able to use his MargaritaIsland,Venezuela. amongst these has been the Red- considerable expertise much of it - aim is to encourage all activity tailed Amazon Amazona gathered in his previous position TheWorld Parrot Trust does designed to help the survival of brasiliensis, which led to our as Director of Jersey Wildlife not necessarily endorse any parrots in the wild, so we should working with Dresden Zoo and Preservation Trust's International views or statements made be pleased that substantial new Fonds fur Bedrothe Papageien to Training School - to ensure that by contributors to funds are likely to be made PsittaScene. support the vital task of Loro Parque's substantial funding available, and that they will be preserving the fledglings from potential is used effectively to deployed by someone very well It Willof course consider poaching. assist the conservation of parrots. qualified to do so. articles or letters from any Another species which David I am sure members will join us contributor on their merits. has investigated for us is Buffon's in wishing David well in his Michael ReYllolds Macaw Ara ambigua. At the exciting new job. Our most basic 2 ECOLOGYANDCONSERVATIONOF TUE KED.TAILED AMAZON By Paulo Martuscelli Summary Sao Paulo), the felling of trees for counted in l/ha plots marked in populations, as noted at Ilha The Red-tailed Amazon Amazona the building of canoes, and illegal each of the seven forest types in Cananeia, where the resident birds brasiliensiswas found to be trade, which has increased since the region. Each of the seven plots were once joined by individuals restricted to a complex mosaic of the 1980's; also, killing for food was exhaustively searched for from Ilha Comprida, making a total forests growing on the narrow and target practice by local people cavities that a parrot could use for of 157 birds. coastal plain of eastern Brazil. The ('cai<,:aras")has been a serious nesting. This was done only to The amazons are faithful to species depends on habitat problem (Collaret al. 1992). obtain a general impression of the traditional roosts, using them as heterogeneity both for food and In this paper I present the distribution of cavities in the forest long as the trees are standing.