The species mainly inhabits montane and elfin forest at 600-1,300 m, but forages down to 150 m in response to food shortages (Dominica Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment in litt. 2000, Snyder et al. 2000, Wiley et al. 2004). It is highly sensitive to habitat modification, readily abandoning traditional foraging and nesting territories (Dominica Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment in litt. 2000). Nests are situated in cavities in tall forest trees (the same species used by Red-necked Amazon Amazona arausiaca), with breeding between February and June (coinciding with the dry season). The nest cavity is heavily festooned with vines and epiphytes, making observation of nesting activity difficult (Dominica Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment in litt. 2000, Wiley et al. 2004, Reillo and Durand 2008).

Amazona imperialis is endemic to Dominica, where it inhabits the Morne Diablotin area (primarily on the north-east, south, south-west and south-east slopes [Raffaele et al. 1998, Wiley et al. 2004, Reillo and Durand 2008]) and the Northern and Central Forest Reserves; it has recently re-established a small population in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park near Morne John (Reillo 2001, Wiley et al. 2004, P. R. Reillo in litt. 2007). The species is known to have declined significantly in the past, when the population plummeted to an estimated 25-40 mature individuals after Hurricane David in 1979 severely damaged the forests on the island. Conservation action then increased the population to 160-240 mature individuals in 2012 (P. R. Reillo in litt. 2012). Until recently, the species's strongholds used to be in Morne Diablotin National Park and its surroundings, the Central Forest Reserve and the Morne Trois Pitons National Park and surroundings. In the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in 2017, the population likely declined drastically; importantly, some of the remaining individuals have been observed foraging both within and outside of the species's typical montane forest habitat (Palmer et al. 2018). It is likely that the species moved into lower-quality lowland habitat to forage for food as a consequence of the hurricane's impact on primary forest (Palmer et al. 2018). By January 2018, preliminary surveys detected 11 Imperial Amazons at nine localities throughout the island, all outside of typical forest habitat (Palmer et al. 2018). By June 2019, further sightings were reported within and adjacent to the Morne Diablotin and Morne Trois Pitons National Parks, Central Forest Reserve, Northern Forest Reserve and on other sites on privately-owned land (A. Fairbairn per C. Palmer in litt. 2019, P. R. Reillo in litt. 2019). Most sightings occurred along forest edges and on ridges (P. R. Reillo in litt. 2019). Two individuals, one of which was rescued after the hurricane and brought to a rehabilitation centre run by Dominica's Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division, were exported to a private breeding facility in Germany without coordination with the Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division or parrot programme managers (Cox and Oltermann 2018, Palmer et al. 2018, Reillo 2019).

Conservation Actions Underway
CITES Appendices I and II. The species is protected by domestic legislation, and it is recognized as the National Bird of Dominica. In recent years, there have been considerable efforts to protect suitable habitat and sensitise local citizens to its needs. Successful conservation education programmes have markedly reduced local trade. It is protected across all national parks, the Northern Forest Reserve and the Central Forest Reserve, but important areas adjacent to these reserves remain unprotected (Dominica Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment in litt. 2000; Snyder et al. 2000; Wiley et al. 2004). An area of 33 km² of the Northern Forest Reserve has been designated as the Morne Diablotin National Park (Collar 1997; Wiley et al. 2004). It is also present in small numbers in the Morne Trois Pitons National Park (Reillo 2001; Wiley et al. 2004; Reillo and Durand 2008). The Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division has successfully maintained the Parrot Conservation and Research Center (PCRC), a rehabilitation facility for releasable parrots with a long-term holding capacity for non-releasable birds. All birds held at the PCRC survived hurricane Maria, and the center successfully rehabilitated many individuals impacted by the hurricane (Reillo 2019; P. R. Reillo and S. Durand in litt. 2019). The only captive breeding of the species occurred at the PCRC in 2010 (Reillo et al. 2011). Post-Maria conservation efforts include rebuilding the PCRC and increasing the Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division's capacity to recover parrots entirely on the island (P. R. Reillo and S. Durand in litt. 2019). Information about this cryptic species's ecology and life-history has slowly accumulated since the inception of Dominica's parrot conservation and research programme in 1981 (Wiley et al. 2004; Reillo and Durand 2008; Reillo 2019).

Conservation Actions Proposed
Sustain surveys and comprehensive effort to quantify the population size. Investigate the extent of the distribution range. Monitor reproduction and the overall population trend. Assess the impact of hurricane Maria on habitat availability.
Implement a habitat recovery programme to allow for regeneration of the forest. Continue enforcing the protection of the Morne Diablotin and Morne Trois Pitons National Parks, and the Northern and Central Forest Reserves. Continue studying the ecology of the species and factors affecting its status, including interspecific competition (Zamore and Durand 1998; Dominica Ministry of Agriculture and the Environment in litt. 2000; Wiley et al. 2004). Carry out all conservation, intervention and recovery measures for the species on Dominica (Reillo 2019; P. R. Reillo in litt. 2019). Continue to prohibit trade in this species, exports for captive-breeding, and import of non-native psittacines as pets on Dominica by actively enforcing existing protective legislation (P. R. Reillo in litt. 2012, 2019). Enhance in-country infrastructure for parrot rehabilitation and release (P. R. Reillo in litt. 2019). Increase professional and scientific capacity within the Forestry, Wildlife and Parks Division (Reillo 2019; P. R. Reillo in litt. 2019). Increase awareness for the species.