Genetic monitoring of endangered sun parakeets in Guyana
KEY POINTS- Monitors the genetics of sun parakeets using feces and shed feathers
- Conservation work in collaboration with the indigenous community in Karasabai
Project overview
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Short summary
By combining genetic analyses with local field monitoring, the project develops new methods to protect the endangered sun parakeet in Guyana. The goal is to improve knowledge of the population and support its long-term conservation.
The endangered sun parakeet (Aratinga solstitialis) has undergone severe population declines due largely to trapping for the international pet trade and has disappeared from parts of its former range. One of its most important remaining wild populations occurs around Karasabai Amerindian Village in Guyana, where the local community has implemented measures to protect and monitor the species.
This project develops and applies a non-invasive genetic monitoring approach to support the long-term conservation of the Karasabai sun parakeet population. Local field technicians collect naturally deposited feces and shed feathers at feeding, roosting and nesting sites. DNA extracted from these samples is genotyped using a specifically developed panel of single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). Individual genetic profiles can then be used to investigate important conservation metrics such as population size, relatedness, breeding success, sex ratios and population structure, as well as changes in these parameters over time.
A central component of the project is its close partnership with the Indigenous community of Karasabai. Local knowledge, field monitoring and sample collection are combined with modern conservation genetics to provide information that can directly support community-based protection and management of this endangered species.