On December 8th Grey and Timneh parrots were uplisted to Endangered, the second highest level of threat on the IUCN Red-list of threatened species. This change in their categorisation follows their uplisting to Appendix I of CITES in October and reflects growing concerns over the impact of trade and forest loss on populations of both species. WPT has been working tirelessly with local and international partners to document the situation on the ground, helping to understand the status of populations in West Africa and uncovering the true extent of trapping in the Congo Basin.
We’ve also done everything we can to make sure this information gets in front of the right people, meeting with governments, conservation groups and communities across Africa and travelling to the CITES Conference of Parties to speak up in support of an end to trade in wild Grey and Timneh parrots. While gaining formal protection is important, it means little if it doesn’t translate into action on the ground.
That is why we’ve continued to focus efforts on the frontline, assisting with ground-breaking projects to recruit poachers into jobs in conservation, and helping build capacity for law enforcement where it is most needed. 2016 has been an important year for Grey and Timneh parrots, but the next few years could be even more so.
The conservation of African parrots received another boost last month when researchers and conservationists from across the African continent gathered for the fourteenth Pan-African Ornithological Congress in Dakar, Senegal. As part of the congress, which takes place every four years, a special symposium was dedicated to the continent's parrots.
The symposium was opened with a key note address by the World Parrot Trust's Africa Programme Director, Dr. Rowan Martin, who presented an overview of the parrot trade and outlined directions for addressing the threat it poses to wild birds - a subject that was highly topical in the wake of the recent decision at CITES to end trade in African Grey parrots caught in the wild.
There followed a series of fascinating talks, updating delegates on the latest research into Timneh parrots in Guinea-Bissau, the genetic structure of Cape parrots in South Africa, the occurrence of Parrot Beak and Feather Disease in wild parrots in Africa and around the world and the role played by supplementary feeding in the recovery of the once critically endangered Echo parakeet in Mauritius.
The congress also provided an opportunity for the International Ornithologist’s Union Working Group on Parrots to meet and plan next steps for important research on Africa’s parrots.