Save Pdf (0.04
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
16 Conservation news planned for , in another region of Africa so as to facili- numbers have declined at five of these aggregations since tate attendance from other nations. Trappers abandoned three exploited sites, first moni- New data are already being received. In a possible tored in , after parrot numbers collapsed. This includes spotted-necked otter spraint was found at Lake Manyara, a nesting area that had previously been lightly harvested by Tanzania, and the occurrence of the species there has now local communities for years. been confirmed by a sighting in . Spotted-necked otters The recent increase in trapping is driven by the arrival of have also been seen at Lake Kivu in Rwanda, and otter signs trappers and traders from outside the area. In six aggre- have been found at Liparamba Game Reserve, Tanzania, al- gations were exploited for the first time. All were exploited though as yet the species has not been confirmed. by teams coming into the area from other provinces, where The workshop was funded by the Anderson-Rogers they reported declining yields in previously exploited areas. Foundation, the Animal Defence Trust, Columbus Zoo, This suggests that increasing exploitation in eastern DRC is the Rufford Maurice Laing Foundation, Sacramento Zoo part of a wider phenomenon of unsustainable harvesting in and private donors. the region. Parrots are shipped from Kisangani and Kindu to agents HUGUES AKPONA Université d’Abomey-Calavi, Cotonou, based primarily in Kinshasa who then export the birds. Benin Shipping records suggest that exports probably exceed the annual national CITES quota of , individuals. JAN REED-SMITH African Otter Outreach Project, Lake Odessa, Recorded air shipments from Kindu and Kisangani over a Michigan, USA -month period (May–August) in indicate a minimum of , birds were shipped from the two cities, averaging GRACE YOXON International Otter Survival Fund, Skye, UK . per week. Email [email protected] Current regulations are failing to control trade and are leading to unsustainable exploitation. Although some of ’ Increasing exploitation of grey parrots in eastern the country s wildlife regulations are propagated at the na- DRC drives population declines tional level, management of fauna is decentralized to the provinces. Maniema and Orientale provinces were unpre- In the grey parrot Psittacus erithacus was categorized pared for the massive increase in parrot exploitation. They as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List of Threatened have responded, however, to reports on the impact of the Species as a result of ongoing population declines driven trade. On August Maniema’s environment ministry by the global captive bird trade and habitat loss. Although imposed a -month moratorium on captures, including a the majority of range states have now ceased export of grey ban on all air shipments from Kindu. Both Maniema and parrots, Cameroon and the Democratic Republic of Congo Orientale have asked for assistance to monitor aggregations, (DRC) maintain export quotas agreed under Annex II of and both provinces are considering proposals to protect im- CITES. portant aggregations. DRC has emerged in recent years as the largest exporter Provincial efforts to manage parrots will require signifi- of wild-caught grey parrots. Data from Maniema and cant international support. Management is unlikely to be ef- Orientale provinces indicate surging levels of exploitation fective if international demand for wild-caught parrots since , with increased trapping driving population de- remains unchecked. There is a need for an immediate mora- clines. The trade in parrots is solely for export. Numbers torium on exports of grey parrots from DRC. of birds shipped indicate that CITES export quotas are prob- ably being dramatically exceeded. JOHN HART,TERESE HART,LEON SALUMU,ANDREW BERNARD and Monitoring of grey parrot aggregations in the region’s ROBERT ABANI Lukuru Foundation, Kinshasa, Democratic Tshuapa-Lomami-Lualaba landscape was initiated by the Republic of the Congo Lukuru Foundation and the Congolese Institute for Nature Conservation in . Monitoring includes surveys ROWAN MARTIN World Parrot Trust, Hayle, Cornwall, UK, of communal nesting areas, roosts and forest clearings and Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, where birds descend to ingest soil and water. Interviews University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa with trappers and traders have been conducted to date, E-mail [email protected] with direct observations of trapping, purchase and trans- port of captured birds. Since air shipment data have Recent advances in combating illegal ivory trade been collected at the provincial trading hubs of Kisangani in China and Kindu. Since , of known parrot aggregations within the Illegal trade in wildlife and wildlife products, in particular monitored area have been exploited by trappers. Parrot ivory trafficking, continues to pose a threat to the survival Oryx, 2016, 50(1), 13–17 © 2015 Fauna & Flora International doi:10.1017/S003060531500085X Downloaded from https://www.cambridge.org/core. IP address: 170.106.33.19, on 29 Sep 2021 at 22:03:23, subject to the Cambridge Core terms of use, available at https://www.cambridge.org/core/terms. https://doi.org/10.1017/S0030605315001234.