Prime Minister Dr. Hon Ralph E. Gonsalves, met with a delegation from the Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots (ACTP) that is currently in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines as part of the homecoming of the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Parrot, Amazona Guildingii.
The delegation that is headed by Mr Matin Guth, is in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines to deliver a total of 3 parrots to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, Fisheries, Rural Transformation, Industry and Labour that were part of the ex-situ breeding program.
The national birds, 2 of which are just over a year old and 1 that is less than a year old were received at a reception ceremony, held at the Argyle International Airport on the evening on Monday 4th November.
Speaking at cabinet room this morning, Prime Minister Gonsalves thanked the German based Association for the Conservation of Threatened Parrots, this country’s main partner in this regard, for its assistance that forms part of a comprehensive conservation program.
He went on to state, that while this country has systems in place to protect what we have, we must also rely on international conventions, including the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and cooperation from partners such as the ACTP to ensure that we protect our planet and its resources for generations to come.
The Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Parrot Amazona Guildingii is endemic to this country and has an approximate population of 850-900 birds in the wild that remains threatened by natural and anthropogenic factors.
It is with this in mind that the government embarked on the comprehensive conservation program that included ex-situ breeding with those populations maintained outside of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
This morning meeting, that was also attended by Minister of Agriculture, the Hon. Saboto Ceasar, other officials from his ministry and a film crew from the British Broadcasting cooperation (BBC), included the presentation of a t-shirt to Prime Minister Gonsalves by the head of delegation Martin Guth. November 5, 2019