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A field biologist measuring the wing length on a fledgling parrot. Photo courtesy of James Gilardi
Photo courtesy of Wildlife Preservation Trust Intl |
St. Lucia Parrot Recovery
Since 1975 Jersey Trust has been doing population surveys for this species. In 1992 this work was expanded to field research on foraging (food-seeking) ecology, breeding and nesting cycles, and chick development conducted by its sister organization, Wildlife Preservation Trust International (WPTI), and by the Department of Forestry. With the knowledge gained from this research, reserve managers will better understand what environmental factors affect the survival of chicks and fledglings (offspring that have just grown their flight feathers). WPTI also supports the university-level instruction and field training of St. Lucian forestry personnel, which will give them the management skills to continue parrot conservation once international funding is withdrawn. This protection and education project has had a dramatic effect: a 1996 census by WPTI and Forestry counted between 350 and 500 parrots. The recovery of this highly endangered parrot is a remarkable conservation success story. It shows how public support and the efforts of committed conservationists can contribute to the effective protection of biodiversity. However, the St. Lucia parrot still faces serious threats. There is growing pressure to cut more forest to establish banana plantations, and to allow hunting of other species in the Parrot Reserve. These threats emphasize the need for strong and strictly enforced laws if we are to protect wildlife populations in their natural habitat.
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