By Neil d’Cruze and Rowan O. Martin
The lives of people and parrots have been entwined for thousands of years. These colourful, charismatic birds are kept as pets all over the world for companionship and entertainment.
However, today, nearly one-third of the 400 parrot species globally face the threat of extinction. Among them is the endangered African Grey parrot. This bird was commonly found in many parts of west and central Africa, but numbers in the wild have collapsed. For instance, in Ghana, its population has dropped by 90 per cent to 99 per cent since the early 1990s.
In recent years, large commercial farms have sprung up, producing increasing numbers of parrots for sale as pets. South Africa is now the world’s leading exporter of parrots, which has exported over a million from more than 120 species since 2020, primarily to countries in the Middle East and South Asia. Yet, despite the industry’s rapid growth, there are concerns over the effectiveness of legislation to manage its expansion.
As researchers who have spent decades studying wildlife trade and its impact on parrots, we conducted a critical review of the existing literature to evaluate how parrot farming affects the efforts to conserve wild parrots. Our research uncovered the ways in which parrot farming can affect conservation efforts. We propose ways forward for preventing illegal and unsustainable trade in parrots.