UWEC opens Uganda’s first grey parrot conservation centre

The Uganda Wildlife Conservation Education Centre (UWEC) has partnered with Chubu University and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to set up the country’s first African Grey Parrots Conservation Centre.

UWEC officials say this is a “new milestone in wildlife conservation and education.”

The centre was on Wednesday handed over to UWEC in a ceremony attended by partners from Chubu University in Japan, a delegation from JICA and UWEC officials.

UWEC Executive Director Dr James Musinguzi said the initiative will help in advancing scientific knowledge through research, promoting community engagement, and fostering a culture of conservation.

"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," Dr Musinguzi noted.

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 Appendix 2 and can be traded following CITES guidelines.

Now, Dr Musinguzi says the new conservation centre “represents a significant step forward in safeguarding one of the world’s most traded birds as ranked by the International Union of Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and their habitats.”

JICA chief representative in Uganda Inoue Yoichi acknowledged Chubu University's role in securing both human and financial resources for the center's construction.

He further expressed hope for “continued cooperation between UWEC and the Japanese university to facilitate the exchange of skills, knowledge, and technologies.”

What you need to know about African Grey Parrots

The African grey parrot is a bird is known for its beauty, sociability, and intelligence, which makes it a popular pet. However, due to high demand, 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) ranks the African grey parrot as the world’s most traded bird.

Uganda’s situation

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, and Kibaale, among others.