Solidarity and Solid Science in Parrot Conservation

North coast of Trinidad where we visited during the conference

The land of Trinidad and Tobago skirts the north coast of Venezuela, and is clothed with a multitude of cultures that arose from Europe, Africa, and the Americas.  This diversity flowered at the recent BirdsCaribbean conference, where the organizers gifted me with the opportunity to present the keynote on the day of a Caribbean wide parrot conservation workshop.

Our booth at the BirdsCaribbean 25th Conference

My central message was that science is necessary for conservation and can build solidarity, but that science alone is not enough. We parrot conservationists must organize and consider ourselves a solidarity movement if we are to transform our societies so that not just our conservation projects succeed, but that people, parrots, and the planet have the best chance of flourishing, let alone surviving. The call to join this movement is urgent and echoes over the skies as the plaintive but powerful voices of parrots whose populations diminish and experience the devastating impacts of the wildlife and pet trade.

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Fellow "solidarists" and good friends at the conference:

Arne Lesterhuis (left) and Pat Latas (right).

Join us in this Solidarity Movement by registering for our upcoming series that starts in mid-September: Transformative Unconditional Solidarity. We come together to form a way of life for all life.

Closing slide during the presentation