More of 800 parrot experts from 45 countries around the world have been meeting since yesterday at the 10th Tenerife International Parrot Congress to promote knowledge about these birds in danger of extinction and the preservation of biodiversity. The tenth edition of the forum, organized by Loro Parque and the Loro Parque Fundación, offers congress attendees, speakers and accompanying persons a space to exchange opinions and advances and initiate new lines of research.
The reintroduction of birds in danger of extinction, the conservation and salvation of parrots in India, Ecuador or Colombia, as well as talks on applied research, are some of the presentations by international experts participating in Tenerife. Wolfgang Kiessling, founder and president of Loro Parque, assured at the opening that “we are very happy to once again have a selection of unique speakers”. “When I started this in 1986 it was a risk, I didn’t know what I was getting myself into,” he recalled. After 36 years, Kiessling repeats the success of the event in this edition, which has had a full of participants, according to the organization in a statement. In this line, the mayor of Cross portMarco González, highlighted the tourism value of the event and thanked the Kiessling family for their commitment to the Canarian city.
«We are especially delighted with the Congress for what it represents for the tourist promotion policies of our city. It is a scientific event with very clear lines to diversify the tourism sector and make Puerto de la Cruz a true creative ecosystem where science is part of culture and knowledge”, the founder and president of Loro Parque remarked at a press conference.
«Tenerife, an island of success in tourism and the environment». These words are also shared by the scientific director of the Loro Parque Fundación, Rafael Zamora, who highlights the forum as “an important space for the conservation of biodiversity and for Tenerife as a powerful tourist magnet for people who are sensitive to the environment.” For 36 years, Loro Parque has held the International Parrot Congress every four years. In this edition, the Canarian institution has announced its projects for the conservation of endangered species, among which are the salvation of 10 species of parrots from extinction.
“It is a joy to be able to announce that we have removed another species from the list of extinction,” celebrates the vice president of Loro Parque, Christoph Kiessling, who also claims the act’s commitment to biodiversity. In addition, according to Rafael Zamora, “it is a unique congress due to the number of countries gathered and the numerous lines of research that it presents”. “We’ve given talks all over the world and been at different conventions, but there’s nothing like this like this one,” he adds.
This year, coinciding with its 50th anniversary, Loro Parque will host key events for the zoological community. In addition to this congress, it will host the meeting of WAZA, the most important organization of zoos in the world, and the Conservation Planning Specialist Group, in which the leading experts in environmental conservation will participate.
