Chubu University, Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) have jointly unveiled Uganda’s first African Grey Parrots Conservation Centre.
A new milestone in wildlife conservation and education has been achieved today with the official opening of the African Grey Parrot Centre at UWEC-Entebbe Zoo.
The center, dedicated to the research and conservation education of African Grey Parrots, was handed over to UWEC in a ceremony attended by partners from Chubu University in Japan, a delegation from JICA, Management and staff of UWEC.
The African Grey Parrot Conservation Centre represents a significant step forward in safeguarding one the world’s most traded bird as ranked by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and their habitats. With their remarkable intelligence and striking plumage, African Grey Parrots hold a special place in the hearts of people worldwide.
However, these birds face numerous threats, including habitat loss, illegal trade, and capture for the pet industry. The establishment of this center underscores Uganda’s commitment to conserving its rich biodiversity and advancing conservation education.
During the ceremony, the Executive Director of UWEC expressed gratitude to the development partners for their sustainable partnerships. He emphasized the center’s national role in advancing scientific knowledge through research, promoting community engagement, and fostering a culture of conservation stewardship among future generations.
“The opening of the African Grey Parrot Centre marks a significant step in our ongoing efforts to conserve Uganda’s biodiversity and promote ecotourism,” said Dr. James Musinguzi, “By providing a dedicated space for research and education, we are not only safeguarding the future of African Grey Parrots but also empowering communities through conservation and eco-tourism.”
The JICA Chief Representative Uganda acknowledged Chubu University’s role in securing both human and financial resources for the center’s construction. Mr. Inoue Yoichi expressed hope for continued cooperation between UWEC and Chubu University to facilitate the exchange of skills, knowledge, andtechnologies.
Current Situation about African Grey Parrots
The African grey parrot is a large parrot that is known for its beauty, sociability, and intelligence, which makes it a popular pet. However, due to high demand for parrots as pets, the wild African grey parrots have been trapped and trafficked for illicit trade. This, combined with forest degradation, has led to a dramatic decline in wild parrot populations, which are now threatened with extinction. It is estimated that over 800,000 parrots were captured between 2000 and now, with 40,000 parrots being captured illegally each year.
The African grey parrots are now considered extremely rare or locally extinct in several countries in Africa, including Ghana, Benin, Burundi, Guinea Bissau, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, and Togo. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has ranked the African grey parrot as the world’s most traded bird. While data on the population of African grey parrots in Uganda is scarce, parrots are often spotted in forests in Central, Western, and North Western Uganda, such as Mabira forest, Lake Victoria, Budongo, Kibaale, among others. To avoid the extinction of African grey parrots, it is important to protect and conserve the remaining wild individuals in their habitat (in situ), breed them in captive facilities (ex situ) and return them to the wild habitats. When a species is nearly extinct, it is difficult to restore the population due to genetic diversity loss. Additionally, unimaginable resources and efforts are needed to support reproduction, translocation, and conservation projects.
Conservation Education program for African grey parrots
Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) is a statutory organization mandated to conduct and manage Conserve Education in Uganda, Rescue, rehabilitate and release wildlife back to the wild, undertake captive breeding of endangered, rare and endemic wildlife species among others. UWEC is a CITES rescue Centre for Uganda and hosts the National Animal hospital and quarantine facilities.
To promote Parrot conservation in Uganda, the Uganda Wildlife Education Center (UWEC) is undertaking several initiatives, including constructing a Parrot Conservation Centre for researchers and students, an outdoor parrot rescue aviary, collecting and storing samples from all parrots for DNA analysis, building capacity for staff, equipment, and materials, developing Conservation Education programs to promote ecotourism at release sites like Ngamba Island and Kibaale, and supporting wildlife and ecotourism enterprises to improve the livelihood of communities neighboring the release sites.
Conservation of African grey parrots
It is crucial to note that the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Flora and Fauna (CITES) banned the global commercial trade of African grey parrots at a meeting in Johannesburg in 2016. The meeting gave the highest level of protection to this parrot species by listing it in Appendix 1, which outlaws all international trade in animals facing possible extinction. However, the parrots that are bred in CITES-registered captive facilities are listed in
