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NKOTB, the pet trade helps IF they people buying the birds are breeding them, as is generally not the case with pet birds. If the birds are aviary birds, then certainly it can help, but this isn't common in the US. Most birds are kept as pets. In Aus, it's great that we have captive populations of many native birds, so that if they are in trouble there is an amazing resource there, for example with the Gouldian finch. Keep in mind that this is jeopardized when people start breeding colour mutations- yellow turquoisines will never be released into the wild.
I personally think that if a particular bird is becoming highly endangered, for example the spix's macaw (which is too far gone to be able save now), people should be encouraged to voluntarily surrender their pet so that it can be used to breed, and the offspring can be released back into the wild. I'm sure most people would be happy to support the survival of the species. I do know of one lady doing this with her pet spix's, but I think it was probably a case of too little too late.
The real problem is that there is still a market for wild caught birds, and these birds are still allowed to be imported. There is a massive market for wild caught birds in less developed countries, such as parts of Indonesia, but I really can't see why anyone in a developed country would hand over money for a bird that has been put under a lot of stress, kept in unhygienic conditions, suffered rough handling, a long plane flight and probably isn't eating well since it's suddenly been given an entirely new diet, and to top that off will be wild as hell.
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