The Parrot Breeders’ Association of Southern Africa (PASA) is heading to Geneva to represent South African aviculture at the 81st meeting of the CITES Standing Committee (SC81), taking place from 2–6 November 2026 at the Geneva International Conference Centre in Switzerland.
The meeting will address matters including trade in captive-bred animals, compliance and permitting. For parrot breeders and owners, it highlights the importance of having an organisation that follows these developments and represents their interests.
Why CITES SC81 matters to bird breeders
CITES—the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora—regulates international trade in listed animals and plants to help ensure that trade does not threaten their survival in the wild.
The Standing Committee guides the implementation of the Convention between meetings of the Conference of the Parties. Topics at SC81 include captive-bred trade, electronic permitting and establishing whether specimens were legally acquired.
For breeders, these discussions raise practical questions: what records are needed to demonstrate captive breeding and lawful origin? Are requirements clear and achievable? How can controls identify illegal activity while allowing responsible breeders to operate lawfully?
Practical experience from the aviary needs to inform these discussions alongside scientific, conservation and enforcement expertise.
Why South African aviculture needs representation
PASA’s visit provides an opportunity to represent breeders’ concerns and contribute practical knowledge about keeping and breeding parrots.
Effective regulation should protect wild populations and provide workable requirements for lawful captive breeding. This requires an understanding of breeding records, bird identification, breeding cycles and the costs of compliance.
The wider industry also matters. Bird breeding supports businesses and livelihoods through feed, veterinary services, laboratory testing, aviary equipment and transport. The consequences of regulatory approaches should be considered across this network.
PASA’s stated goals include protecting members’ interests in keeping, breeding and trading parrots, and representing members, clubs and regions. International engagement forms part of the work needed to fulfil that mandate.
What your membership supports
Representation takes sustained work: reviewing documents, consulting members, gathering evidence, preparing responses and engaging with authorities. Membership helps provide the resources and collective support needed to carry it out.
An individual owner may find it difficult to follow every development or address a shared problem alone. An active association can bring members’ experiences together and present a coordinated, better-supported case.
Members also have a part to play. Accurate records, responsible birdkeeping and feedback about practical difficulties help an association represent the industry credibly. In return, members should expect clear communication, useful guidance and reporting on the work undertaken on their behalf.
Why it matters even if you never export
Although CITES concerns international trade, its implementation can have wider implications for breeding partnerships, access to breeding stock and opportunities within aviculture.
The significance of each development depends on its scope and implementation. A discussion or proposal does not automatically create a new obligation for every bird owner.
Membership does not replace permits or guarantee a particular outcome. It helps sustain informed representation and a coordinated response when owners and breeders face common concerns.
Help sustain a voice for bird owners
PASA’s Geneva visit is a reminder that representation needs support before an urgent problem arises.
Whether you keep parrots as companions, breed as a hobby or operate a breeding business, your participation contributes to a broader and better-informed membership.
Join PASA/PVSA directly or through an affiliated club and help support the work of representing responsible aviculture locally, nationally and internationally.