Tree growers in the Eastern Cape are doing all they can to ensure the Cape Parrot does not become extinct.
One person involved in the project is Nozibele Mphothulo, who is among the women growing trees in a nursery to re-establish forests which they hope can save the endangered bird.
Affectionately known as Mamma Evelyn, the woman in her 70s is involved in Siyazama Nursery, an initiative established in 2017 to re-establish forests.
She has lived in Sompondo community her entire life and the neighbouring forest is home to her and other growers. They collect indigenous seeds from trees in the community and at the forest edge, germinate the seeds and grow healthy seedlings.
Cape Parrot Project purchases the seedlings when they reach planting height.
Growers depend on this as their primary source of income.
Mphothulo supports other growers in every way she can and the income she receives from tree sales has allowed her to purchase rainwater tanks for water security, fence off her food garden and support her large family.
There are fewer than 2,000 Cape Parrots (Poicephalus robustus) left in the wild, limited to forest patches in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo
Though she grows a diversity of tree species, Afrocarpus falcatus is her signature species. Over several years thousands of the trees have been planted in and around forest habitat, creating a future food source for the Cape Parrot.
She would like to pass on her knowledge to the next generation when she retires from Siyazama Nursery.
There are fewer than 2,000 Cape Parrots (Poicephalus robustus) left in the wild, limited to forest patches in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo.
According to the Cape Parrot Project, parrots nest in existing tree hollows in old yellowwood trees, which are South Africa’s national tree, and rely on the fruit of the trees for nutrition and survival.
However, there is a shortage of natural nesting sites due to the scarcity of old yellowwood trees, largely attributed to habitat degradation caused by historical logging practices.
Director of the Cape Parrot Project and Trustee of the Wild Bird Trust Dr Kirsten Wimberger said with strategic partnerships they are working towards a total wild population of 2,500 birds within the next 10 years.
“The Cape Parrot’s limited habitat is under threat because of human-induced factors, including over-exploitation of natural resources, the proliferation of exotic plants including commercial forestry, and depleted groundwater supplies, which all contribute to habitat degradation and ultimately a lack of nesting sites and food for the species,” said Wimberger.
The Wild Bird Trust’s Cape Parrot Project is a registered nonprofit, public benefit environmental organisation, and has been working to protect South Africa’s only endemic parrot since 2009.
Based in Hogsback, a village at the heart of the Amathole-Katberg Mountain Key Biodiversity area in the Eastern Cape, the project strives to link conservation with economic benefits by uplifting small, rural communities surrounding Cape Parrot forest habitat.
To increase on-the-ground forest protection, the project encourages local people to become forest custodians through the development of local livelihoods that derive benefit from healthy forests.
Wimberger said: “The plan is to protect and improve Cape Parrot forest habitats, thereby halting the habitat degradation driving their decline, and providing conservation actions needed to improve population numbers.”
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