uPholi - want a forest?
A rare African parrot species needs your help to survive
Cape Parrots are recognized as Critically Endangered in South Africa with only 1000 to 1500 parrots remaining in the wild, having undergone a population collapse over the last 50 – 100 years. The global Cape Parrot population is split equally between two disjunct populations in the Eastern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal, with an additional isolated population of approximately 30 parrots persisting in the Woodbush-Wolkberg forests, Limpopo Province.
Over 300 years of rampant logging of yellowwood trees from the Afromontane mistbelt forest of South Africa has left us with remnant forest patches still threatened by mismanagement and deforestation. These form the stronghold of the remaining Cape Parrots in the wild. The small remaining wild population is faced by two additional threats: capture for the lucrative wild-caught bird trade and disease (specifically Psittacine Beak and Feather Disease (PFBD).
In 1998 the WPT began supporting on-going conservation work by the Cape Parrot Working Group (CPWG), an African-based organization focused on saving the species. The Percy FitzPatrick Institute for African Ornithology (University of Cape Town), Birdlife South Africa and the CPWG have partnered to launch the Cape Parrot Endangered Species (CAPES) project to compliment ongoing monitoring and community work in the region.
Learn more about the CAPES project »
Why we need your help?
Your support will help the WPT and the Cape Parrot Endangered Species Project (CAPES) to aid the birds and secure their long-term survival. With your help we can support the recovery of this truly African parrot and its unique Afromontane mistbelt forest habitat.
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