Poaching sources and trade routes in Peru and Ecuador warn of the unsustainable rural demand for preferred parrot species

Abstract

Illegal wildlife trade remains highly active in the Neotropics, as indicated by the thousands of parrots annually sold in illicit city markets. However, little is known about where parrots are poached, whether certain parrot species are selected among those available in the wild, their trade routes, and potential conservation impacts. We conducted a large-scale survey in Peru and southern Ecuador to simultaneously estimate the relative abundance of parrots in the wild and as household pets in rural areas, determine their origin (locally poached or bought at city markets), and measured the shortest distances to their native ranges and markets through the existing grid of roads. Household-poached native parrots were found in 96% of the rural localities surveyed. Most pets were locally poached, with only 14% of them bought at markets. Parrot poaching was highly selective, with preferred species (mainly Amazon parrots and large macaws) being collected much more than expected given their abundances in the wild and attaining higher prices than the other species. Individuals that were moved away from their native ranges or bought at distant markets were of those species most preferred by people, and covered large distances (up to 1010 km), even crossing country boundaries. Our results differ from those previously obtained from city markets and seizures of illegally traded parrots in Peru, where preferred species were underrepresented. Local poaching and rural trade activities act at very large spatial scales and negatively affect the population trends of preferred parrot species. This unsustainable scenario is a challenge to the application of effective conservation actions aimed at halting poaching and illegal trade. These actions should focus on very extensive and remote rural areas throughout the Neotropics rather than just on well-known markets located in large cities.