World Parrot Trust operate by funding specific in-situ conservation projects in over 45 countries, most of which are based in South America, Africa, and Southeast Asia. Science underpins all aspects of the trust’s operation, from conducting field research and surveys to community engagement activities. A big focus for the World Parrot Trust is working with law enforcement to mitigate the effects of one of the largest and most devastating threats to parrots globally, the illegal wildlife trade. Projects encompass:
- Intercepting illegal trade routes to rescue parrots from being smuggled out of their range country.
- Educating and supporting communities to act as the first line of defence against trafficking.
- Powering law enforcement to disrupt trafficking networks.
- Advocating for robust anti-trade policy by corporations and governments.
In the field, operations involve rescue assistance and capacity building through in-person training and guidelines for people involved in parrot rescues. They work with vets, rescue centres, zoos, and forestry departments across countries like Indonesia to develop parrot health and husbandry training practices. To increase the size of parrot populations, they have developed a number of captive breeding and release programs both in the UK and within parrot range countries, as well as further monitoring of wild populations and illegal trade markets for individuals. Assisted breeding for wild parrots is achieved through installing nest boxes, habitat assessments, and large-scale surveys to identify suitable release sites for parrots.
