Help protect natural forest & save the Cape Parrot

World Parrot Day, celebrated on 31 May 2023, puts the spotlight on the critically endangered Cape Parrot, colourful resident of South Africa’s Afromontane southern mistbelt forests. There are less than 2 000 Cape Parrots left in the wild as their habitat has been eroded by the consequences of extensive, uncontrolled logging in the past, on-going forest degradation, disease and the illegal capture of wild birds for sale.

Now communities, businesses and members of the public can get behind the Wild Bird Trust’s Cape Parrot Project to help protect and expand the natural forest habitats of this iconic bird in an effort to ensure its long term survival.

The current distribution of the Cape Parrot is restricted to a mosaic of Afromontane Southern Mistbelt forests from Hogsback in the Eastern Cape through to the southern KwaZulu-Natal. There is also a small and disjunct population in Limpopo province. Cape Parrots are dependent upon large indigenous trees, particularly Yellowwoods, for food and as nesting sites, where they use existing cavities to lay eggs.

The uncontrolled logging of these natural forests that started in the 19th century would have had a huge impact on the Cape Parrot population as mature hardwoods – especially yellowwoods - were targeted for felling. These natural forest patches are now protected for conservation purposes and logging is outlawed, but the forests are still under pressure from population growth and land use changes.

The Cape Parrot is also known as the Knysna papagaai, woudpapagaai (Afrikaans), isiKwenene (Zulu). isikhwenene (Xhosa) and hokwe (Tswana). It is only found in South Africa and has been listed as Birdlife’s Bird of the Year for 2023.

To ensure this species does not go extinct, the Cape Parrot Project is engaging with communities, organisations and the public to raise awareness of the threats the bird is facing and to educate people on how to maintain a healthy habitat for the parrot. The goal is a sustainable ecosystem for not just the parrots, but all the forest species and for surrounding communities.

The Cape Parrot Project team uses research and science to drive conservation action. A key strategy is to partner with local communities to get involved in habitat restoration. Alien vegetation is managed to assist natural forest regeneration, and planting of indigenous species is undertaken where appropriate.
Seeds are collected from a variety of local indigenous trees in the nearby forests and germinated in compost. Thousands of indigenous tree saplings are produced in community-run nurseries located close to the forests as well as the main nursery at the project base in Hogsback.

“Community members are encouraged to grow seedlings which the project then buys back. These seedlings are planted back into appropriate degraded forest habitat. Thus, the Cape Parrot Project strengthens local social-ecological resilience through creating livelihood opportunities in local communities that are dependent on a healthy ecosystem and their surrounding indigenous forest,” said Dr Francis Brooke, Research Manager for the Cape Parrot Project in Hogsback.

The project also engages with local schools encouraging children to become agents of positive environmental change, and to increase their appreciation for the indigenous forests and all the species that call these forests home.

By restoring the health of the natural forest patches, the project also contributes to mitigating the impacts of climate change and supporting local communities. Natural forests sequester significant amounts of carbon dioxide from the atmosphere and provide a suite of ecological services like improving air and water quality and protecting biodiversity.

Dr Kirsten Wimberger, Director of the Cape Parrot Project, said: “The restoration of forests campaign - Myforest - will be launched on World Parrot Day, 31 May, where the public can get involved by helping to protect the Cape Parrot and demonstrate their commitment to conservation in South Africa”.

As a partner of the Cape Parrot Project, participating companies can build on their sustainability portfolio while also raising awareness about the project. The Cape Parrot Project has a growing and dedicated following on social media, including conservationists, bird enthusiasts, and individuals who care about environmental issues. By partnering with the Cape Parrot Project, companies can pride themselves on adopting a social responsibility program that is making a difference and do their bit for the planet.

For more info visit www.wildbirdtrust.com

Cape parrots ahoy!!
by Chris Chapman
Passing through the tiny town of Creighton in southern KZN early one morning, my colleague James Ballantyne suddenly shouted “Cape parrots” and pulled over onto the side of the road to get a better look.

I could see a flock of birds disappearing over a nearby hill, but couldn’t make out what they were.

“Definitely Cape parrots,” said James. “Let's follow them and see where they go.”

With that he jumped back in the car and off we went in the general direction that the flock appeared to be taking, which was the opposite direction of our field day location. I was not convinced that this wild goose chase would yield anything of interest, and I was not aware that we even had a proper parrot in South Africa.

Soon we came to a clump of large yellowwoods just outside the town and James pulled over again. Sure enough there they were, barely discernible against the glare of the sky, high up in the canopy. I managed to get a photo of one of these parrots, and only when I got back home and enlarged the photo could I make it out properly.

Now I am a fan of the Knysna papagaai and keep an eye out for them whenever I am around a natural forest – although I haven’t seen one since. But I will keep looking!

*My photo of the Knysna papagaai, high up in a yellowwood outside Creighton, southern KZN.*

Vergelegen wine estate plants trees for posterity

VIP visitor Mary Carlisle plants an oak sapling at Vergelegen to mark Arbor Week, while members of the horticultural staff look on.

South Africa celebrated Arbor Week during the first week of September, and Vergelegen wine estate in Somerset West – a provincial heritage site renowned for its historic trees – marked the occasion in appropriate arboreal style.

A distinguished guest planted an oak tree sapling with a fascinating history, and garden staff revived the tradition of gathering seeds from an ancient yellowwood and distributing these to visitors.

Royal connections
It is a Vergelegen custom to invite visiting dignitaries to plant a commemorative oak, and the estate has a fine collection planted by members of Britain’s royal family and other visitors. The oak tree planting on this occasion was undertaken by Mary Carlisle, renowned for her work with under-privileged communities in KwaZulu-Natal, on a visit to the estate on 2 September.

This oak sapling has a fascinating lineage, says Vergelegen Gardens Manager Richard Arm. It originates from an acorn from a famous tree at Vergelegen known as the Royal Oak. That Royal Oak, in turn, grew from an acorn planted decades ago when Vergelegen was owned by Sir Lionel and Lady Florence Phillips, from 1917-1940.

“Lord and Lady Phillips were friends of the Duchess of Marlborough, who had given Sir Lionel this acorn. It came from one of the last of King Alfred's mediaeval oaks at Blenheim Palace in Oxfordshire, England. This acorn survived the sea trip from England to the Cape in the 1920s and duly grew into the giant oak known as the Royal Oak.”

Since then, acorns from the Royal Oak have been taken back to England for planting in Blenheim Palace and Windsor Great Park.

“We planted the sapling close to the existing Royal Oak so that in a couple of hundred years, oaks can still be enjoyed as part of the heritage of the Cape,” says Arm.

Seed distribution
Vergelegen is also home to a vast yellowwood (Podocarpaceae, a protected national tree) estimated to be 150-400 years old.

The famous yellowwood at Vergelegen is believed to be 150-400 years old.

This venerable old specimen is the source of hundreds of seeds which the horticultural team traditionally gather every year. They skipped this custom in 2020 due to the Covid-19 lockdown, but revived it this year.

“The seed handout at the gate was extremely well received by all our guests,” says Arm, who adds that the seed collection and germination are made easier by resident fruit bats.

The bats not only drop the seeds in certain areas of the garden, so that the team know where to find them, but they also nibble at the skin and fleshy part of the fruit to expose the seed, which helps germination.

Tree viewing
Vergelegen visitors can walk the Yellowwood Trail to the site of this magnificent old yellowwood. Other outstanding trees include five enormous camphor trees (Cinnamomum camphora) outside the homestead, which were declared national monuments in 1942. These are the oldest introduced cultivated trees in southern Africa, and were also the favourite trees of President Nelson Mandela on his visits to Vergelegen.

The collection also includes a hollow old English oak, believed to be the oldest living oak in Africa, and an oak arboretum. The arboretum is home to about 15 varieties of oak and helps to increase awareness of the history of oaks in the Cape, and the conservation and propagation of these trees.

Members of the public are welcome to visit he estate which is open Monday-Sunday 09h00-17h00.

For more info visit www.vergelegen.co.za and social media.