Building alliances

The Red Siskin Initiative is very grateful for the welcome our project has received from the avicultural community, who along the scientific community and specialists have raised their voices to create the Red Siskin Specialists and Aviculturists Network (ReSSAN).

ReSSAN, led by Arlene Cardozo-Urdaneta and Enrique Azuaje, has three main objectives: a) to discourage the demand for wild Red Siskins for aviculture, b) to contribute knowledge to develop breeding protocols for the Red Siskin Conservation Center (RSCC) in Venezuela, and c) to promote good practices that ensure the sustainable management of Red Siskin captive populations.

It has been gratifying for us to find points where the communities of conservationists and aviculturists converge. We are confident effective results will come from walking together towards safeguarding wild populations of the Red Siskin in Venezuela and supporting the efforts of the RSCC and RSI to recover this species. Today, ReSSAN has 127 members, with leaders promoting our efforts in Venezuela, Spain, Portugal, Brazil, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Australia.

These groups have disseminated information about the current situation of the Red Siskin in Venezuela and RSI efforts to conserve it. They have also started establishing working networks aligned towards the creation of guidelines for the promotion of good practices. The path traveled so far is promising, but it is just beginning. We will continue working to expand our network of allies in 2021, and thus capitalize on the efforts and experience of aviculturists to conserve this species that we all love so much.