ELSEVIER Biological Conservation 77 (1996) 159 167 Copyright © 1996 Published by Elsevier Science Limited Printed in Great Britain. All rights reserved 0006-3207/96/$15.00+0.00 0006-3207(96)00005-5 PARROT CONSERVATION IN THE LESSER ANTILLES WITH SOME COMPARISON TO THE PUERTO RICAN EFFORTS Colmore S. Christian Forestry & WildlifeDivision, Botanical Gardens, Roseau, Dominica, West Indies Thomas E. Lacher, Jr Archbold Tropical Research Center, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-1019, USA Michael P. Zamore Forestry & Wildlife Division, Botanical Gardens, Roseau, Dominiea, West Indies Thomas D. Potts & G. Wesley Burnett Parks, Recreation & Tourism Management Department, Clemson University, Clemson, SC 29634-1005, USA (Received 28 November 1994; accepted 11 October 1995) Abstract There are four endemic species of Amazona parrots in the Lesser Antilles, namely the imperial or Sisserou par- rot Amazona imperialis and the red-necked or Jaco parrot A. arausiaca of the Commonwealth of Dominica, the St Lucia parrot A. versicolor of St Lucia, and the St Vincent parrot A. guildingii of St Vincent and The Grenadines. Seven other endemic members of the same family, Psittacidae, have become extinct in the region in historical times. These four extant species are now all threatened by deforestation, predation, illegal hunting and collecting, and natural disasters. Measures for par- rot conservation consist of environmental education, habitat protection, enforcement of appropriate legisla- tion, and enhancement of wild breeding and captive breeding. These approaches are reviewed for each of the islands and compared with the relatively successful but much more expensive conservation measures adopted for the Puerto Rican parrot A. vittata in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. Recommendations are made for future conservation emphasis and research. Copyright © 1996 Published by Elsevier Science Ltd Keywords: imperial parrot Amazona imperialis, red- necked parrot A. arausiaca, St Lucia parrot A. versi- color, St Vincent parrot A, guildingii, environmental education, captive breeding. Correspondence to: C. S. Christian;Tel.: (809) 44-82731 ext. 3415. 159 INTRODUCTION Although similar in many respects, the islands of the West Indies (Fig. l) exhibit a variety of edaphic, climatic and topographic conditions which together influence and determine local species composition. The high level of endemism which is characteristic of most tropical island environments, particularly in terms of plants and invertebrates present in the rain forest zones, holds true for the Lesser Antilles. The avifauna constitutes the largest group of Ierrestrial vertebrates, and many species, particularly the parrots, are endemic to the region (Blume, 1968). Unfortunately, all the extant parrot species of the region are threatened with extinction (Snyder et al., 1987; Evans, 1988). This paper presents a brief overview of the status of Lesser Antillean Amazona species, highlights the factors responsible for their decline over the years, and exam- ines parrot conservation efforts in the Lesser Antilles. Brief comparisons are made with the parrot conserva- tion strategies used in Puerto Rico, and measures likely to enhance parrot conservation efforts in the Lesser Antilles are proposed. HISTORICAL AND PRESENT STATUS OF LESSER ANTILLEAN AMAZONA SPECIES Four genera of the family Psittacidae have been known to occur in the West Indies. These are Ara, which is