Species Extinction
Almost everywhere, habitat destruction and illegal wildlife trade have collapsed global wildlife populations by a staggering two-thirds in the last 50 years. Right now, a species goes extinct, on average, every 7 minutes, day and night. We are reaching a tipping point, a collapse, beyond which we have no control and no way out.
For example, South Africa’s only endemic parrot, the Cape Parrot numbers have declined since the early 1900s, primarily from a combination of the degradation of our remaining Afromontane forest patches, disease outbreaks, direct persecution, and illegal capture for the wild-caught bird trade.
To ensure this species does not go extinct, the Cape Parrot Project is working to engage communities, organisations and the public to the threats the bird is facing and to educate on how we can maintain a healthy habitat for the parrot, and thereby establishing a sustainable ecosystem for not just the parrots, but all the forest species, and surrounding communities.