THE appearance of a flock of South American parrots on the island has sparked concern over the effect non-native species might have on Bermuda's fragile ecosystem.

Retired Government Conservation Officer David Wingate warned that strict legislation as well as a concentrated education campaign were needed to prevent the catastrophe that could occur.

Such measures, he added, should be fundamental to Government's Biodiversity Strategy & Action plan - launched earlier this year and designed to harness resources and address the most critical issues facing Bermuda's biodiversity.

"Government is concentrating on a huge initiative right now with biodiversity and conservation in Bermuda," he said. "Fundamental to that is the control of invasive species. It is a serious threat.

"It could prove catastrophic to have an invasive introduction on the island. There's more money on the island now, more wealth that people have to put into importing exotic species. So the risks are higher than they have been for years." The parrots - thought to be Blue-fronted Amazons - have been on the loose in the western end of the island for over a year, according to Andrew Dobson, vice-president of the Bermuda Audubon Society. Native to South America, the birds are a large parrot species - mainly green, with blue on their heads - commonly kept in captivity.

"These noisy escapees were first noticed roosting in trees in the East Shore Road area of Somerset," he said. "The six birds then relocated to Sea Swept Farm in the spring of last year.

"One pair successfully raised two young in a cedar tree nest hole. Subsequently, the eight birds have been seen flying regularly around the Southampton area.

"Escaped cage birds are often seen in Bermuda, from small canaries and budgerigars, to parakeets and cockatoos. Some of these birds survive for a short time in the wild.

"The danger of permanent colonisation would be to farm crops and private gardens. Some parrot species can do enormous damage to fruit crops in particular. Parrots in the wild are a great sight, but members of the public should realise the risk of releasing any non-native species of animal into the wild."

Because their native diet of large forest fruits would not be available to them in Bermuda, Mr. Wingate agreed with Mr. Dobson that it would be natural for the parrots to turn to farmed foods such as citrus, bananas and pawpaws.

"We know they can breed in Bermuda. People keep releasing guinea pigs into the wild, for instance. At the moment, they're domestic but it doesn't take many generations before they revert to wild creatures. If that were to happen, it would prove catastrophic for farmers and gardeners.

"The whole trade makes me sick. It's okay when it's birds who have been domesticated for centuries but when you harvest a bird in the wild and sell it to people who then get careless and let them escape, it just makes me sick.

"The best solution is to have very strong laws about introducing and releasing things in the wild and enforce them when necessary.

"We need legislation which would forbid the importation of alien species of any kind without a permit. Such a permit would only be given where there is a clear indication of previous experience elsewhere that the (species) would be likely to be benign if it were allowed to escape. We also need legislation to prevent people from releasing or feeding domestic animals in the wild.

"There should be a very grave penalty for that.

"Bermuda is far more vulnerable (than most places) because we're oceanic and because we have a simple ecosystem. We should take the problem seriously.

"Education is by far the best way to help people understand the dangers. It's often that we look at these situations too late. Look at the kiskadee."

4 See also letter on page 4.