Despite some amazing rebounds, six decades after Rachel Carson’s call to curb pesticide use, the world’s birds are in deep trouble assaulted by toxic chemicals, lost habitat, hunting, invasive species, and climate change.
Trade in endangered species online is an increasingly popular avenue for traders and traffickers. A recent review, published in the journal Oryx, highlights a related trend: lesser-known species that have traditionally flown under the radars of both traders and conservationists are appearing online. Earlier this year, Vincent Nijman, a professor of anthropology with the Oxford […]
Credit: Photo by Harry Marshall
A comprehensive new study into the key user groups in Indonesia s bird trade offers hope for protecting species through behavioural change. Novel research led by Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU) and Chester Zoo has identified three main groups within the Indonesian songbird owner community: hobbyist , contestant and breeder .
Indonesia hosts 16% of the worlds bird species and is widely acknowledged as the global epicenter of the wild bird trade. The majority of this trade is concentrated in Java, Indonesia s fourth largest and most populous island. Songbirds, in particular, are highly sought after, with bird owners falling into three main consumer groups: hobbyists, who own birds primarily as pets; contestants, who own birds to enter in singing contests; and breeders, who own birds to breed and/or train for resale or as a pastime.