With nearly 400 species, parrots are a remarkably diverse taxon. However, with almost one-third of species categorized as threatened on the IUCN Red List, they are also one of the most imperiled bird groups. Threats include large scale habitat loss and degradation, unsustainable trade of wild birds, disease and epizootics, invasive species and climate change. All but four parrot species are listed on the appendices of CITES because of the risk posed by overexploitation to supply international trade.
To address these pressing conservation challenges, a new IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC) Wild Parrot Specialist Group was created in May 2024. With a broad-based membership drawn from the global parrot research and conservation community, the newly established Specialist Group is uniquely situated to detect, monitor and manage parrot populations, and advise and inform decision-makers, funders, scientific communities, interested members of the public and other stakeholders about the perils affecting this group. The term ‘wild’ reflects the focus of the group on the conservation of wild parrot populations while at the same time acknowledging the conservation potential of breeding programmes and the benefits of the IUCN SSC Conservation Planning Specialist Group's One Plan Approach for the conservation of species.
The Wild Parrot Specialist Group is inclusive and welcomes members with a diversity of skills, experiences and specializations, including both in situ and ex situ expertise. It provides a cohesive structure to address the many needs of parrots in peril, support conservation risk assessments for wild species and populations, prioritize planning needs, and initiate and facilitate inclusive conservation planning. Given the diverse expertise of the Specialist Group's members, we aim to explore all available conservation tools to encourage and support conservation action in alignment with the IUCN Species Strategic Plan 2021–2025 (Assess–Plan–Act–Network–Communicate) and the One Plan Approach.
The Wild Parrot Specialist Group will facilitate and implement a coordinated response to the complex and multifaceted challenges that face parrots by creating synergy between the various institutions and subject matter experts working to protect parrot populations in the wild. Enquiries about the newly created Group can be directed to [email protected].
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