Historically, African grey parrots (Psittacus erithacus) occurred in large numbers in lowland tropical rainforests of West and Central Africa. Seven African countries sponsored the proposal: Angola, Chad, Gabon, Guinea, Nigeria, Senegal and Togo; plus, the European Union and the United States; and nine more African countries indicated support during the consultation phase: Burundi, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea-‐Bissau, Liberia, Niger, Central African Republic, Republic of Congo and Rwanda (see map). Wild populations of African grey parrots have been greatly reduced due to the pet trade and destruction
and fragmentation of their habitat. It is estimated that the populations have decreased by 50-‐90% in some areas of distribution. The species is extinct or has very
low numbers in Angola, Benin, Burundi, Ivory Coast, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea-‐Bissau, Liberia, Nigeria, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania and Togo. African grey parrots are highly vulnerable to overexploitation. They are slow to reproduce, only breeding at around 3-‐5 years of age and producing one to two chicks each
year. Their gregarious social behavior at roosting, feeding and breeding sites makes them easy targets for trappers. The African grey parrot is highly coveted as
Proposal to transfer the African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) from Appendix II to Apendix I of CITES
Recommendation: Support
(c) Sherry McKelvie
PROPOSAL: CoP17 Prop. 19 -‐ Transfer the African grey parrot (Psittacus erithacus) from Appendix II to Appendix I according to the following biological criteria of Resolution Conf. 9.24 (Rev. CoP16), Annex 1, Paragraph C) i): A marked decline in the population size in the wild, which has been observed as ongoing. Paragraph C) ii): A marked decline in the population size in the wild, which has been inferred or projected on the basis of a level or pattern of exploitation and a decrease in quality of habitat and a decrease in area of habitat because of high levels of deforestation in certain areas.
7 African countries sponsored the proposal plus the EU and USA; and 9 more African countries indicated
support.
AFRICAN GREY PARROT (Psittacus erithacus)
© Dana Allen
an exotic pet because of its extraordinary ability to vocalize, learn and imitate human language.
In 1981, CITES Parties listed the African grey parrot in Appendix II because of the potential impact of international trade on wild populations. The species has been included in four Significant Trade Reviews of the Animals Committee of CITES (1988, 1992, 2006, 2014). The Significant Trade Review showed that exports from 1994 to 2003 represented the capture of up to 21% of the wild population each year. Currently, Cameroon is the only country that has published an export quota (3,000 per year). Until January 2016, the
Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) had a quota of 5,000 per year, but this quota was usually exceeded and the use of forged permits was common. In January 2007, the Animals Committee imposed a ban of two years on exports and in January 2016, the 66th meeting of the Standing Committee of CITES recommended that all Parties suspend trade in African grey parrots from DRC. African grey parrots are considered to be the third most traded wild-‐sourced bird. Exports of more than 1.3 million have been reported since 1975. However, due to high pre-‐export mortality from mishandling and unreported and illegal trade, the true number of parrots taken from the wild for international export may range between two and three million. Capture for the pet trade is impacting populations of grey parrots and has been identified as a cause of population declines in at least 20 of the 22 range states. Unsustainable levels of harvesting are due to badly set quotas, poor regulation and management of trade, exceeded quotas, fraudulent permits, false reports of code C, stolen permits, photocopied permissions, reused permits due to limited capacity and resources of the authorities, high pre-‐export mortality, and a large illegal trade due to weak enforcement. TRAFFIC recommends supporting this proposal on the basis that "clearly current measures in place to protect this species from over-‐exploitation have failed over a number of years and are continuing to do so. Given the above irregularities and ongoing reported declines caused by trapping, a suspension of further trade from wild sources appears to be in the conservation interest of the species".
It is necessary to support African countries wishing to protect African grey parrots from extinction by including the species in Appendix I at CoP17 in South Africa.
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