Grey areas: temporal and geographical dynamics of international trade of Grey and Timneh Parrots (Psittacus erithacus and P. timneh) under CITES

ABSTRACT

International trade in wild birds is a driver of biodiversity loss, species invasions and the spread of diseases. Grey and Timneh Parrots (Psittacus erithacus and P. timneh) have been among the most frequently traded of all birds listed in the Appendices of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and were recently categorised as Endangered on the IUCN Red List. Records of international trade, available on the CITES trade database, were used to establish geographical trends in imports and exports of Grey and Timneh Parrots since 1975. Patterns of trade varied dramatically over time, with key trading partnerships changing frequently. Net exports of over 1.2 million wild-sourced parrots were reported, the majority of which were exported to North America prior to 1992 and Europe prior to 2005. Recently, there has been a rapid rise in exports of captive-bred parrots to parts of Asia, notably countries in the Arabian Peninsula. The majority of captive-bred Grey and Timneh Parrots originate from South Africa, which has at times also been the largest importer of wild-sourced parrots. Patterns of trade are considered in the context of the changing economic, cultural, governance, and biological circumstances to understand the potential drivers of major shifts and identify research needs and interventions to control trade.

KEYWORDS:

• Wild bird trade
• trade regulation
• CITES
• species conservation
• exotic pet trade
• captive breeding
• parrots

Acknowledgements

I would like to thank Cristiana Senni, Ann Michels, Jamie Gilardi, Steve Beissinger, Sue Lieberman and an anonymous reviewer for technical advice and comments which greatly improved the manuscript.