Current protected areas not enough to save parrots from extinction: Study by Liz Kimbrough on 29 January 2021 Nearly one-third of parrot species are threatened with extinction, and a new study concludes that current protected areas are not sufficient to protect parrot diversity, overlapping with only 10% of the geographic range of all parrot species. Agriculture is the main threat to parrots and is especially relevant in the Neotropics, where parrot species richness is highest. The northeastern Andes and southeastern Australia are highlighted as two important hotspots for parrot conservation. The fate of parrots is largely tied to the fate of forests, as 70% of parrots are forest-dependent. The study concludes that the future of parrots relies on policymaking in specific countries.