Conservation Concern for the Deteriorating Geographical Range of the Grey Parrot in Cameroon

Abstract

The need for information on Grey Parrot distribution and vegetation associations for informed management and policy decisions was the basis for this study. A nationwide survey of the Grey Parrot population and habitat status was carried out, using questionnaire and point count methods. From the results, the extent of the contemporary range of the parrots was restricted to Southern Cameroon, which harbours the rainforest. Regional parrot population means ranged from 3,487 parrots in the Littoral to 1,351,275 parrots in the East Regions. The extent of the contemporary range as a percentage of the whole country was 25.4% and as a percentage of the regions with rainforest was 44.5%. The historic range of the bird has been reduced by over 55.5%. Estimated percentage of forest lost per region ranged from 20.4% in the Centre to 57.1% in the East and South Regions. At a global level, Cameroon contributed 9% to the total extent of the range of the Grey Parrot in Africa. The range is increasingly fragmented, contracted, and lost through land-based socioeconomic activities. These degradation pressures on the range called for urgent conservation considerations for long-term survival of the parrot species and its associated biodiversity in Cameroon.

Land-cover change threatens tropical forests and biodiversity in the Littoral Region, Cameroon

“…Nevertheless, the fact that smallholder oil palm complexes occur predominantly within remnants of native vegetation suggests that oil palm may be a direct driver of natural forest conversion. Our finding is supported by previous studies in the region, which identified oil palm plantations as one of the major drivers of deforestation (Tamungang et al, 2014; Mitchell et al, 2017). The conversion of natural forests to landscapes dominated by oil palm may also lead to a cascade of ongoing negative conservation outcomes in the region, as evidenced in South-east Asian landscapes where oil palm plantations have had negative effects on the abundance and occurrence of a wide range of taxa, including birds, invertebrates and mammals (Fitzherbert et al, 2008; Yue et al, 2015).…”

Bird communities in African cocoa agroforestry are diverse but lack specialized insectivores

“…The mature forest sites were at least 1 km from forest edge, had a closed canopy and were considered largely undisturbed by logging activity. Sites were classified into three regions: south, ecotone and west, corresponding to distinct ecoregions in Cameroon (Tamungang et al, 2014). We assigned each sampling visit to a season, either wet or dry, according to rainfall patterns of the corresponding region (Molua, 2006).…”

Habitat Preferences of the Grey Parrot in Heterogeneous Vegetation Landscapes and Their Conservation Implications

“…The presence of many secondary tree species such as Terminalia superba, Ceiba pentandra, Pycnanthus angolensis, and Musanga cecropioides provided unique habitat resources to the parrots for food, nests, and roosts. Food crop tree species such as plums and guavas were exclusively found on this plot [34,35].…”