Abstract
Loro Parque Fundacion
Recent trade, capture of wild African Grey Parrots
In recent decades a high level of capture and legal trade in wild African Grey Parrots (Psittacus erithacus) has occurred. A major exporting country has been Cameroon, with official statistics from 1981 to 2005 showing that it exported 367,166 individuals, with a yearly average of 15,299.
From 1990 to 1996, it exported 48 percent of the African Grey Parrots of all countries in Africa. From 1993 to 2006, the official CITES (Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Fauna and Flora) annual export quota for this species from Cameroon had remained 12,000.
The high volume of trade and consistent exceeding of the quota led to concern over the impact on wild populations, and the Animals Committee of CITES called for scientific-based field surveys of wild populations, and the development of National and Regional Management Plans before resuming any trade, in line with its recommendation to institute a moratorium on exports of P. erithacus from Cameroon for two years from January 2007.
Restrictive measures were also recommended for certain other exporting countries within the natural geographical range of the species. To help with assessment of the situation in Cameroon, in 2006 the Loro Parque Fundaci6n commenced its financial support to a sustainable trade and conservation project led by Dr. Simon Tamungang, Senior Lecturer in Ecology & Wildlife Management, University of Dschang, Cameroon.
During the period in question, as a protective measure for livestock and human health, the European Union decided to prohibit the importation of wild-caught birds, effective July 1, 2007.
In relation to these restrictions, what is happening now with capture and trade of African Grey Parrots? I analyzed the official figures (the CITES figures reported by the member countries) on international trade in wild-caught live specimens, and the results are presented in Tables 1, 2 and 3.
These figures exclude quantification of numbers of specimens trapped, traded with other countries illegally, and traded or exploited in other ways within national borders.
From the figures in the tables several comments can be made. There is an overall decline in the legal wild-caught African Grey Parrots in international trade, both in terms of numbers of countries exporting and importing (down to half the number), and in terms of the number of parrots exported and imported (more than a fourfold decrease).
There is an almost sevenfold decrease of the imports into Europe. The figures do not support the hypothesis of an increase of legal imports into Asia and the Middle East corresponding to the decrease of imports into Europe. Some additional specific comments can be made. In these figures, South Africa accounts for 92.7 percent of all imports into African countries, and accounts for 99 percent of the higher re-export figure in 2007. Of the continuing imports into Europe in 2007 and 2008, 99.1 percent are accounted for by Serbia, a country not directly affected by the EU prohibition. The Asian and Middle Eastern countries still showing signs in 2007 and 2008 of substantial imports are Bahrain, Lebanon, Pakistan and Singapore.
The downward pressure exerted by CITES on export quotas appears to have had an effect, with a notable drop even in 2006 of African Grey Parrots legally exported from Cameroon.
Establishment of the quotas for 2007 and 2008 are noted as in preparation but Dr. Tamungang reports that, as a result of Cameroon not submitting the management plan to CITES the annual quota was first reduced to 6,000, and to zero in the following year. The quota remains at zero pending the production and submission of the document by the Cameroon government.