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Parrots-R-4Ever is just
as concerned about, and dedicated to, the welfare and preservation of
parrots living in the wild as we are those living in captivity. It is
enticing to think of running off to South America, the South Pacific
or Africa to establish parrot conservation programs. However, the reality is
that there are already very competent and highly motivated native
organizations in most of these areas that are perfectly capable of handling the
task themselves with a little support and encouragement from us. For that
reason, we at PARS have determined that we can best serve the conservation of
parrots in the wild by supporting those organizations that are already working
in the field on a daily basis and by advocating those proven methods that can
provide sustainable funding for their work. One such group is
Associacion Armonia of
Bolivia and one such method that we support is well managed eco-tourism.
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Eco-Tourism
A Powerful Tool For Parrot Preservation.
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In
the native homelands of our feathered companions, the battle of man vs. beast
rages on. Most species of parrots in the wild exist in an endangered state,
some on the brink of extinction, due in no small part to the handy-work of
mankind, poaching and habitat encroachment/destruction. It might seem at first
glance that the survival needs of parrots in the wild and those of the local
human inhabitants are mutually exclusive. In the current state, what is good
for the parrots harms the local economy, thus man. What is good for the economy
and mankind is almost solely responsible for the instability in the populations
of parrots in the wild, not to speak of the disappearing rainforest.
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Parrots
need vast tracts of unspoiled wilderness or rainforest in which to live out
their lives, multiple and thrive as a species. Unfortunately, these same tracts
of territory contain the largest proportion of natural resources desired for
the physical and economic survival of the human population. Loss of prime
nesting trees, due to commercial logging, is one of the primary reasons for
shrinkage in the population of wild parrots, contributing dramatically to
already low reproductive rates. Yet these same trees, which take hundreds of
years to replace as nesting sites, provide some of the world’s most in-demand
hardwoods as well as vital economic subsistence and survival for local human
populations. Is there a solution to this seemingly irresolvable paradox? We at
PARS believe the answer is a resounding YES -
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So,
what is eco-tourism and how does it help to preserve parrots in the wild? In a
nutshell, eco-tourism is a fancy name for a vacation with the focus on natural
instead of man-made attractions. And how does this help the birds? Quite
simply, eco-tourism equates to an influx of tourist dollars. The greatest
threat to the continued existence of parrots is the wild is the destruction of
their habitat and the poaching of their young. Most of this destruction is done
by ordinary, everyday, citizens of impoverished communities who are simply
trying to provide for themselves, their family and make a better life. Local
governments have no real interest in stopping the destruction because they lack
the monetary resources to enforce the laws or replace the lost income of their
citizens who live in poverty already. The destruction and poaching will
continue until local governments and citizens realize that the rainforest and
its inhabitants are more valuable intact then when disassembled and sold
piecemeal.
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