Should Australia export its native birds?

Authors

Ross Kingwell, Department of Agriculture, Western AustraliaFollow

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

8-1994

Journal Title

Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics

ISSN

0034-6616

Keywords

Native birds, International trade, Export, CITES, Bird smuggling, Illegal bird egg harvesting, DNA fingerprinting

Disciplines

Agribusiness | Agricultural Economics | Agricultural Science | Biosecurity | Biotechnology | Environmental Monitoring | Natural Resource Economics | Natural Resources and Conservation | Natural Resources Management and Policy | Ornithology | Sustainability

Abstract

Commercial export from Australia of native birds, wild or captive bred, is prohibited. This paper firstly describes the current legislation and regulations that restrict the export of native birds and discusses why governments have adopted such a regulatory approach to bird species preservation. Secondly, the paper reviews the debate concerning the export ban, pointing out strengths and weaknesses in arguments and indicating the important role of CITES. Lastly, the paper outlines a new case for a conditional lifting of the ban, whereby DNA fingerprinting is used to establish transferable property rights to overcome a main source of market failure in the preservation of bird species. Application of this DNA technology offers an opportunity both to protect wild populations and to develop a legitimate export industry based on breeding in captivity.

Recommended Citation

Kingwell, R. (1994), Should Australia export its native birds?. Review of Marketing and Agricultural Economics, 62 (02), 261-271.
https://library.dpird.wa.gov.au/bs_research/133