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the United States for most CITES^ -listed species having been eliminated by the 

 WBCA), aviculture is committed to the concept of sustainable yield, the 

 conservation of exotic birds in their natxiral habitats and in captivity, and the strict 

 regulation of international trade in wild-caught birds for the pet market. 



Aviculture was, in fact, one of the original participants of the Cooperative 

 Working Group on the Bird Trade, organized by World Wildlife Fund. As part of 

 this Group, aviculture formally acknowledged in 1988 the need for a regulated, 

 sustainable trade in and wise use of wild-caught exotic birds in order to make them 

 valuable assets in their countries of origin, and to promote saving them and their 

 habitats. Aviculture also pointed out the need to address concerns regarding 

 planned programs of avian eradication in coimtries of origin. Certain species of 

 birds are seen not as resources to be used as economic incentives in their range 

 coimtries but are considered pests to be destroyed. 



In 1992, aviculture supported the concept of the WBCA. As part of that Act, 

 aviculture stressed the need to promote, encourage, and facilitate captive breeding of 

 exotic birds in the U.S. and abroad. Aviculture supported the WBCA based, in part, 

 upon the understanding that one cornerstone would be the free trade in captive- 

 bred exotic birds. Congress agreed, by enacting P.L. 102-440 which attempted to (1) 

 insure that trade in wild-caught exotic birds involving the United States would be 

 biologically sustainable and not detrimental to wild populatioris and (2) promote the 

 role of captive breeding or aviculture to supply trade requirements as an alternative 

 to harvest from the wild. 



Even now, private aviculture is not in favor of repealing the WBCA. 

 Aviculturists believe their stewardship obligation requires that trade in wild-caught 

 birds involving the U.S. should be biologically sustainable and not detrimental to 

 wild populations. It is the position of aviculture, however, that the WBCA has 

 failed to fulfill its promise and the mandate of Congress in a number of significant 

 respects, particularly those relating to population studies in countries of origin and 

 undue regulation of trade in captive-bred exotic birds. Regulation of legitimate 

 captive-bred exotic birds has nothing to do with wild populations of exotic birds. 

 We define specific problems and offer some serisible solutions below. 



AVICULTURE'S RECOMMENDATIONS 



Trade in Wild-Caught Exotic Birds 



The first concern is that the WBCA and Regulations developed by the U.S. 

 Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) have resulted in an almost total ban on 

 importation of exotic birds into the United States — even captive-bred birds. The 

 WBCA had two primary goals. The first goal of the WBCA was to insure that trade 

 in wild-caught exotic birds involving the U.S. would be biologically sustainable and 

 not detrimental to wild populations. Congress, in 1992, recognized that well 



^ Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species 



