Founded in 2017 and based in the United States, One Earth Conservation’s (OEC) mission is to promote parrot well-being in the Americas by conducting transformative parrot conservation, acting to end the wildlife trade, and encouraging a strong sense of human connection to all life that results in the well-being of all.

We work with parrots as a gateway species that can transform how people perceive and treat nature and each other. Wild parrots function as seed dispersers and protect plants from pests, provide food for scavengers, help regenerate soil, increase yields of flowers and fruits, are excellent wildlife ambassadors, and are found on five continents. They are disappearing due to the wildlife trade and habitat loss. Parrots often live where there are marginalized people, many of whom seek a new way of working that makes it possible for them to NOT join an extractive economy and instead engage in regenerative work. Our projects decrease the wildlife trade, protect biodiversity, improve animal welfare, and empower Indigenous and other communities. 

OEC has developed replicable conservation methods that must be tailored to each community. We go into regions that have received little attention and resources and where parrots are threatened and talk with local people about parrots and what they’d like to do. We provide training in transformative conservation, which focuses on species and human well-being. People learn that wildlife has agency, needs, worth, and dignity and realize saving nature saves themselves.

OEC pays people in conservation projects in Guatemala, Guyana, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, and Suriname. They work as parrot conservationists, rangers, veterinarians, educators, and rehabilitators. Our projects have reduced parrot poaching of 9 species from 100% to less than 20%. Habitats monitored and protected include dry tropical forest, pine savanna, savanna grasslands, broadleaf forest, pine-oak forest, and cerrado.

Also, for the past 3 years, OEC has been testing a novel method of starting new projects by offering online Parrot Conservation Corps (PCC) trainings, in English and Spanish, to teach people about our conservation methods and to sprout new projects. The program uses the same methods used in our field project trainings to impact declining wild parrot populations by changing people’s attitudes. This includes sharing stories, dialogue, and emphasizing multispecies relationships; teaching about biodiversity, conservation, and the importance of parrots; and focusing on the many intelligences that improve how people relate to each other and nature. People then teach others about parrots and engage in conservation activities that inspire them to protect wildlife. OEC’s online conservationists become leaders who develop projects their own way. When resources are available, we encourage their work by offering stipends to participants and small grants for their projects.