International parrot trade
The international trade in parrots is a lucrative enterprise, and forms an important part of the international wildlife trade. As parrots have become increasingly endangered, many countries have placed restrictions on the trade and/or prohibited the trade altogether. Despite the restriction on trade in many countries however, the market still operates both legally and illegally. A big factor that attempts to keep the control in international trade is CITES. The Convention of International Trade in Endangered Species of Wildlife Fauna and Flora was established in 1975, and consists of 184 parties which includes 183 countries along with the European Union. CITES offers three different degrees of protection for around 38,000 species around the world.[1]
Approximately 2,600 of the more than 9,600 bird species in existence are subject to trade,
CITES
CITES organization aims to restrict the import and export of endangered species.[4] In appendix I CITES lists species are threatened by extinction, and that trade within these species is only permitted in exceptional circumstances.[4] Appendix II species listed are not immediately threatened by extinction but trading must be controlled.[4] Appendix III are species that are protected in at least one country.[4] Specifically for appendix I CITES restricts the trading of wild birds, species within can only be traded if a permit is granted.[4] In a study done in Singapore in 2016, they found that 23% (54,207) of CITES Appendix I, II, and III listed birds and 35.2% (78,406) of CITES Appendix I, II, and III listed Parrots were not re-exported after their arrival.[5] Tracking were parrots go after they have been imported and exported can help determine weather or not the birds are being breed at the locations that are importing, or weather they are being sold as pets.[5]
International trade
The pet trade is a large contributor to the legal and illegal sides of wild animal consumption every year. There are many ways that legal wild life trade are regulated to try and ensure sustainable biodiversity.[6] However, illegal trade is still an immense issue today. It's estimated that pet trade is worth, at a global level, $30.6-42.8 billion annually.[1]>[7] It is also estimated that $8.6-20.8 of the total is obtained through illegal trade. All over the world animals are being captured, breed, transported, and sold.[1][7] There are two main ways that Parrots are brought into trade. The first is that they will be caught from the wild and then transported to places where they are then sold. The second being that they are captively breed from wild populations, and are then sold into the trade. With both of these during the capture, transport and breeding process the mortality rate of birds is high.[8]
When looking wild caught and also captive breed animals involved in the wildlife trade. Birds are among the highest in the number of species that are involved in trade and also the ones that have a large number of threatened species are affected by the pet trade.[8] Birds are one of the most commonly traded taxonomic groups worldwide, with ca. 4000 of both wild-caught and captive-bred origin species sold and kept as pets.[9][10] In fact, approximately a third (>400) of all globally threatened bird species are thought to be affected by overexploitation for food or cage bird trade.
Top exporters
The greatest number of parrots came from Latin American countries (mostly Guyana, Suriname and Argentina).[11] The top bird exporting countries are:
Top importers
The largest importers of parrots are:[2]
- The European Union
- The United States
- Singapore
- Central America
- The Caribbean
Prior to 1992, the United States was the largest importer, but after the Wild Bird Conservation Act was passed in 1992, the European Union emerged as the leading importer.[2] In the 2000-2003 period, the EU imported 2.8 million wild bird species, accounting for 93% of imports worldwide.[2]
The chart below graphs the gross exports of true parrots, members of the family Psittacidae, a subtaxon of the order Psittaciformes.
However, the statistics greatly underestimate the quantity of birds channeled into the pet trade. Mortalities that occur prior to export are excluded.[2] An estimated 60% of the birds taken from the wild for trade may perish before reaching the market and many die in transport.[14]
The parrot trade has grown in Latin America, due to the wide availability of species in this area and the high global demand for exotic pets. The trade regulations vary between countries and are difficult to enforce, which has led to this continued practice despite the issues it causes. There is a lack of knowledge about the husbandry of exotic pets, particularly parrots, leading to inadequate care in captivity and illnesses, such as hypovitaminosis A disorder, which can be fatal. Additionally, the escape and owner release of these birds into the wild can also threaten species by establishing non-native populations.[15]
Trade in the United States
Although most parrots in the United States are imported (see chart below), some appear to be captured domestically. Florida's wild blue-and-yellow macaws are not native to the state and therefore are not protected under Florida law.[16] Pam Wright explained, "Florida's wild parrots are being poached, sold on the internet, and it's perfectly legal."[17] In the documentary Parrots in Peril, Neil Losin argues, "Wherever you find wild animals that have commercial value in the pet trade—cities included—poaching can become a problem".[16]
Legal rules and restrictions regarding Psittacidae trade
The Wild Bird Conservation Act (WBCA)[19] was enacted on October 23, 1992, to protect exotic bird species from international trade. The Act maintains that wild-caught birds may only be imported into the United States if they are produced in accordance with service-approved management plans for sustainable use of the species.[18] After the WBCA, the number of parrots imported in the US declined from over 100,000 annually to only hundreds annually.[11]
The European Union placed a temporary ban on wild bird imports in October 2005 after imported birds died from the H5N1 bird flu. The ban was made permanent in 2007, allowing only captive-bred birds from approved countries to be imported.[20]
The
Trade in Mexico
Although it is difficult to account for the exact number of birds trafficked each year, a comprehensive survey of parrot trappers by Defenders of Wildlife, a national nonprofit organization in Mexico, estimates that anywhere from 65,000 to 78,500 birds are captured and traded annually. The same report indicates that Psittacidae populations have declined as much as 30% in Mexico over the past century due to a combination of habitat loss and overexploitation of the trade of these animals.[22]
History
Although declining parrot populations in Mexico are a modern worry, the
Export
In September 1982 Mexico banned the commercial export of Psittacines, but because demand still existed in the United States, trade across the border continued illegally.
Illegal Trade Within Mexico
The regulation of the parrot trade in Mexico has proven to be a problematic process. Until 2003, the parrot trade was authorized on a species by species basis. The number of species that could be legally trapped and sold had steadily declined since 1979, and in 2003 the
A 2006 report by Cantu et al. report demonstrated that the illegal trade of Psittacines actually increased when
Although this ban might be successful in deterring some of the organized trade in Psittacines, the illegal parrot trade is still a major problem today.[36] Psittacines are poached from the wild by opportunistic peasants who use the animals they sell as a primary or secondary source of income.[37] This poaching is difficult to trace or regulate because it is widespread and performed without any sort of record-keeping.[38] The captured parrots are often sold to middlemen called itinerant fences who travel to different locations to purchase parrots from villagers and later sell them to open air markets located in more densely populated areas.[36]
PROFEPA attempts to combat the illegal parrot trade using several methods including directly attending to reports regarding illegal activity; making scheduled inspections of markets, pet shops, zoos, and UMA's; pinpointing identified locations for sale and transport; and patrolling ports, airports, and borders. However, these efforts do not make a significant impact. Much of PROFEPA's enforcement activity is concentrated on the point of sale, but the high rate of mortality in trafficked parrots means that intervention efforts often occur too late to save the smuggled birds. The agency also lacks the resources to conduct raids on warehouses and markets that are used to store and sell parrots. Even when these operations can be implemented, PROFEPA is hindered by insiders who tip off the bird traders so that they can hide their animals before the raids occur. (new info, defenders, 54) Because of its ineffective system of management, it has been estimated that PROFEPA's seizures of wildlife represent only 2% of the total annual Psittacine trade.[39]
Solutions To Illegal Trade
Today, the illegal parrot trade continues because it is a low risk, high reward criminal activity.[40] Intervention is problematic because there is a limited body of knowledge regarding the topic, and records kept by government agencies are sparse.[41]
A 2006 report by Cantu. et al. is one of the only comprehensive and concentrated bodies of knowledge regarding the extent of the Psittacine trade in Mexico. This report is largely based on interviews with bird traders and union leaders, and attempts to organize data collected by a variety of Mexican agencies regarding the issue. However, the document is limited by a lack of concrete evidence specifically regarding the number of birds taken from the wild each year, and relies on interviews and speculation to fill in the gaps left by the absence of scientific data. It advocates for an increase in Psittacine
Alternative forms of prevention were suggested in several different studies. A 2011 report by Pires and Moreto advocates a system of situational crime prevention in which enforcement is targeted on a community basis. They write, “…in areas where parrot poaching is concentrated, possible solutions to poaching include: removing ladders from trees, keeping a watch out by citizens/police during breeding periods, shutting down illegal pet markets, and
A similar study by Pires and Clarke suggests that campaigns to build national pride for the Psitaccines of Mexico could be effective in lowering trafficking rates, but they acknowledge that the campaign may not be successful due to Mexico’s large urban population and diversity of parrot species. A more comprehensive and concrete suggestion, also by Pires and Clarke, is to promote and invest in ecotourist lodges that partner with local communities in order to conserve Psittacine populations by using them to attract tourists who stimulate the local economy. If these lodges were effective in providing adequate support to surrounding communities, it is foreseeable that the parrot trade in those areas would decrease as opportunistic trappers realize the value of psittacines as a natural resource. Need based trapping would decline as primary or secondary incomes would become dependent on the ecotourism business.[43]
Illegal market
Smuggling reached its peak in the 1980s when an estimated 50,000 to 150,000 neotropical parrots were smuggled annually into the United States.[44]
Sample market prices
- A $60,000-$90,000[45]
- Hyacinth macaws sell for $5000–$12,000 per mature breeding pair[45]
- Captive bred blue-and-yellow macaw were sold for around $1,800 dollars in the United States in the early 1980s, and for $650 to $900 in the early 1990s[44]
- Live birds and bird eggs are the second most common major seizure by the Australian Customs Service[46]
- The price of a blue and gold macaw could be as high as $1200 in the early 1990s[47]
See also
- Environmental agreements
- Wildlife Enforcement Monitoring System
- Wildlife conservation
- Wildlife management
- Wildlife smuggling
- CITES
- Poaching
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