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Status and conservation of Imperial and Red-necked Parrots Amazona imperalis and A. arausiaca on Dominica

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2010

Peter G. H. Evans
Peter G. H. Evans
Affiliation:
Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OXi 3PS, U.K.
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Populations of both Imperial and Red-necked Parrots on Dominica have declined during the present century with substantial contractions in range, particularly from the southern portion of the island. Parrot densities may be relatively low anyway due to the effects of centuries of hunting. However, declines have been accelerated by habitat destruction and loss of food plants and nesting sites as a result of both human encroachment on the forest and damage caused by Hurricanes David and Allen in 1979 and 1980 respectively. The hunting of birds for meat and for the live cage-bird trade were important threats in the past but conservation education programmes over the last 10 years, and enforcement of legislation prohibiting those activities, have greatly reduced these pressures. Ten years after the debilitating effects of the two hurricanes, the populations of both parrot species (but particularly Red-necks) are showing signs of recovery. Present estimates (May 1990) are of c.80 Imperial Parrots and c.300 Red-necked Parrots in the wild. The major threat to both parrot species is presently habitat destruction, with forested areas being cleared at an accelerating rate for the planting of tree crops, particularly bananas. This process has been aided by recent development programmes towards the building and improvement of feeder roads, making previously remote areas much more accessible. The need for the north-west portion of the Northern Forest Reserve (which includes the entire Morne Diablotin massif) to be declared a national park is ever more critical if the two parrot species are to survive in the long term.

Type
Research Article
Information
Bird Conservation International , Volume 1 , Issue 1 , March 1991 , pp. 11 - 32
Copyright
Copyright © Birdlife International 1991

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