PSITTACUS ERITHACUS
Universidad Pablo Olavide, CSIC Estación Biológica de Doñana and Psittacus Catalonia SL
Democratic Republic of the Congo.
April 2023
PUBLICATION(pending)
Proposal to be confirmed
Preliminary analysis
Planning & Design
Realization
Analysis and interpretation of the results
Publication of the results
The African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus erithacus) is one of the most characteristic bird species of the Central African rain forest. However, it has experienced a dramatic populational decline in the last decades, mainly due to illegal trade and habitat loss. Traffic of captured parrots fostered by the high demand of the pet market as well as traditional hunting by the local population for food and traditional medicine have decimated the natural population of this species. The conservation measures implemented to date do not seem to have reduced massive capture.
The situation is especially critical in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where some of the largest populations of this species are thought to be still living.
The truth is that despite conservation efforts, crucial aspects of their biology in the wild and the actual scope of illegal capture are still unknown. This lack of information causes a negative impact on the effectiveness of the implemented conservation policies.
br>Within this context, the Psittacus Foundation has decided to fund a scientific expedition to the Democratic Republic of the Congo under two leading researchers from the Doñana Biological Station (CSIC, Spain), Dr Pedro Romero Vidal and Dr José Luis Tella Escobedo, with the aim of collecting relevant information to protect the African grey parrot in its natural habitat.
The project has the following main goals:
- Assessing the populational status of the African grey parrot in key areas of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
- Clarifying little-known aspects of the species’ biology in its natural habitat, including its ecological role within the tropical rain forest ecosystems.
- Providing recommendations to improve conservation strategies and ensure long-time survival of the remaining populations of the species.
- Documenting illegal trade with the species and assessing the effectiveness of implemented countermeasures.
The following results are expected:
- Mapping the main distribution areas of the African grey parrot in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, identifying critical areas for its conservation.
- Detailed information on the biology and ecology of the African grey parrot in its natural habitat, including its role in seed dispersal and other ecological processes.
- Improvement of conservation policies based on solid scientific data allowing to optimise measures aimed at protecting the species.
- Public dissemination of the expedition progress through social media, raising awareness on the critical situation of the species.
The project will be deployed over 5 weeks mainly in the central regions of the African grey parrot distribution area in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, where the largest populations are thought to live. The research team is composed by two leading researchers from the Doñana Biological Station of the of the Spanish National Research Council, Dr Pedro Romero Vidal and Dr José Luis Tella Escobedo, experts in bird conservation and illegal traffic.
They will take care of:
- Performing a population census in different areas in the Congo by means of direct observation and acoustic recordings.
- Collecting information on the habitat, behaviour and ecological role of the African grey parrot, an information that is currently limited yet crucial for conservation.
- Interviewing local communities and conservation organisations to better understand the scope of capture and illegal trade.
- Assessing the effectiveness of current conservation policies and giving recommendations based on raised data to improve future strategies.
The expedition will create a field diary in real time, which the Psittacus Foundation will disseminate through social media. This shall allow us to share the team’s findings and experiences, making the general public familiar with the relevance of conserving this species and its ecosystem.
This project strengthens the commitment of the Psittacus Foundation towards protecting biodiversity and scientific research as key tools to ensure the survival of endangered species such as the African grey parrot.
Dr Pedro Romero Vidal, post-doc researcher at the Doñana Biological Station. His research concentrates on several aspects related to illegal parrot trade in the Neotropics, specifically on the effect such human activity has on one of the most threatened bird groups worldwide. He also tackles other ecological aspects while studying these striking birds, such as the impact their disappearance could have on the ecosystems due to the loss of ecological functions or the effect of introducing them outside their native habitats.
Dr José Luis Tella Escobedo, research professor at the Doñana Biological Station. Professor José Luis Tella has a wide experience in conservation biology, his research focusing on different aspects of bird ecology. In the last years, he has made a considerable effort to understand the scope of illegal bird trade in the Neotropics and the impact this may have on ecosystems due to the loss of the ecological functions of these bird species.
