Cape Parrot Project

Soil isn’t just dirt—it’s life itself. Beneath the surface lies a world that sustains forests, food systems, and species like the endangered Cape Parrot. Soil health drives our mission to restore degraded Southern Mistbelt forests. We monitor soil indicators like organic carbon, pH, and faunal richness to ensure our restoration efforts succeed. Here’s how we’re making an impact: 🌱 Collaborative Research: Partnering with universities to study how restoration boosts soil biodiversity, nutrient cycling, and carbon storage. 🛰️ Innovative Monitoring: Using drones and remote sensing to track soil health and erosion. 🌳 Restoration in Action: Planting indigenous trees from community nurseries to stabilize soil and enhance biodiversity. 💡 Empowering Communities: Training eco-rangers and local people to restore and manage their landscapes. Damaged ecosystems can be revived and brought back to life, but it takes all of us—across generations—working together to heal our planet.

The WWF’s 2024 Living Planet Report reveals a staggering 73% decline in monitored wildlife populations since 1970—a sobering reminder of the urgent need to protect biodiversity and restore natural habitats. Habitat loss, illegal wildlife trade, and climate change are pushing species worldwide closer to extinction. Today, over 42,000 species are threatened with extinction, including South Africa’s Cape Parrot, which is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List. These rare birds depend on healthy, connected indigenous forests to survive—but these habitats are increasingly fragmented and degraded. It’s time to take action. Here’s how you can help:  📖 Take a moment to learn about South Africa’s incredible biodiversity. 🌿 Donate to projects focused on habitat restoration and conservation like ours. 📣 Spread the word. 💚 Advocate for sustainable practices that protect our natural heritage. Please consider supporting the work we do. https://lnkd.in/dUmJxAea #CapeParrotProject #CapeParrot #southafrica #GenerationRestoration #wildlifeconservationday

South Africa’s indigenous forests are vital ecosystems that support biodiversity, water security, and carbon storage. These forests are home to many species, including the endangered Cape Parrot, and provide essential resources to surrounding communities. Yet, centuries of degradation—from historical logging to invasive plants to unregulated use of forest products—have taken their toll. We are working to reverse this by restoring Southern Mistbelt forests in the Amathole region, ensuring a future where forests, wildlife, and people can thrive together. 🌳🦜 Visit www.capeparrotproject.org to learn more. #CapeParrotProject #CapeParrot #southafrica #GenerationRestoration

We did it—10,000 trees planted at our Wolf River sites this year! 🌱 While the final sapling has just gone into the ground, the journey to restore our forests begins long before planting day. From collecting seeds and growing seedlings to obtaining permits and partnering with DFFE to identify ideal sites (and securing the necessary funds), restoration is a process that starts up to three years in advance. This year, two teams of 12 worked tirelessly on-site to prepare the land by clearing alien vegetation, building ‘ponds’, and creating contour stacks to prevent soil erosion. Transporting 10,000 saplings from our community nurseries to the site was no small feat. To protect the trees before planting, the teams built additional bomas to shield them from livestock and constructed protective barriers around saplings near the forest edge—areas most vulnerable to grazing. In total, we cleared 12.48 hectares and restored 8.5 hectares, navigating rutted tracks to move people, debris, and trees in and out of the site. A huge shoutout to our team and the iziNgcuka community members employed for this planting season. 👏 And thank you to our funding partners, Greenpop and Fairtree who each contributed significantly to this year’s work. 💚 📷 Monna May #capeparrot #capeparrotproject

We are completely reliant on donations to do the work we do. Every contribution brings us closer to protecting South Africa’s only endemic parrot and the forests they call home. When you support us, you’re helping create a greener future and preserving our natural heritage for generations to come. Your donation helps us: 🌿 Purchase and plant trees 🌳 Restore South Africa’s indigenous forests 🌱 Sustain three community nurseries 📚 Run two educational programmes for children in forest-edge communities 🏫 Support two schools in Alice with infrastructure, environmental education, and biodiversity gardens near Cape Parrot habitats 🙌 Create employment for 22 full-time staff, including 13 from high-risk communities 🤝 Provide contract work to 12 additional workers during planting season 🧐 Conduct vital research on Cape Parrots and their habitat 🦜 Protect South Africa’s only endemic parrot Your support matters—every donation, no matter the size, helps us achieve these goals and make a lasting impact. Together, we can save the Cape Parrot and South Africa’s indigenous forests. Find out how you can help. https://lnkd.in/dUmJxAea 📷: Rodnick Biljon #capeparrot #capeparrotproject #southafrica #generationrestoration

Our team has been hard at work monitoring Cape Parrot populations and engaging with local communities. Here are the latest updates from our Research team! 🦜 This month, we observed 12 main roosting sites, with a significant 233 Cape Parrots recorded roosting! 🔥 We continued our checks of the nests in the area impacted by the fire. In addition to the two damaged nests we previously found, a third nest was discovered destroyed. We still have two remaining nests—Cat Fight nest and Humpback nest—to check. 🤝 Through our outreach activities, we reached around 10 people, sharing valuable insights about the importance of conservation and the vital role Cape Parrots play in our ecosystem. 🎧 Our eco-rangers have successfully deployed 6 acoustic recording units (ARUs) in Schwarzwald Forest for post-fire monitoring, helping us assess the impact of the fire on Cape Parrot activity and their preferred habitats. 🌳 We found a nest! In early October, while conducting phenology in Schwarzwald Forest, our Research Manager, Dr Francis Brooke, heard soft contact calls from a large Outeniqua Yellowwood tree. Upon investigation, a male Cape Parrot was seen sitting at the cavity entrance, followed by the appearance of a female. Francis named the nest Sitting Sandwich nest because she was enjoying her lunch under the tree while observing the parrots. Your support makes all of this possible. Visit https://lnkd.in/dS9m85YZ to learn more about how you can help protect South Africa’s only endemic parrot! 🌍🦜 📷: Rodnick Biljon & Dr Francis Brooke #capeparrot #capeparrotproject

Are you familiar with endemism—the unique connection between species and the places they call home? The Cape Parrot, South Africa’s only endemic parrot, lives exclusively in pockets of Southern Mistbelt Forests, like the Amathole region of the Eastern Cape. These rare birds are intricately tied to these forests, which are vital for biodiversity, water security, and carbon storage. 🌳 Endemic species like the Cape Parrot are extraordinary because they exist nowhere else in the world—but their uniqueness also makes them vulnerable. Their survival depends on the protection of their fragmented forest habitats. At the Cape Parrot Project, we’re restoring forests, partnering with local communities, and conducting critical research to ensure a future for this incredible bird. Join us in protecting South Africa’s natural heritage. Visit https://lnkd.in/dS9m85YZ to help. 💚 📷: Tara Naeser #capeparrot #capeparrotproject

On this World Children’s Day, we’re celebrating the power of education to create lasting change. For the past 4 years, the Cape Parrot Project has partnered with Hobbiton-on-Hogsback to host educational camps, impacting over 400 children from local forest-edge communities. 🌳 These immersive experiences teach children aged 10–14 about the importance of indigenous forests and their role in supporting biodiversity, water security, and climate resilience. Activities include environmental education, team-building, and outdoor challenges like abseiling and ziplining, building resilience and cultivating a deeper connection with nature. 🧗♀️✨ One of the highlights of every camp is the Biodiversity Walk. We quickly realised that many children were walking in slip-slops or school shoes, so we’ve since made it a priority to provide hiking shoes to ensure they can fully enjoy the experience. Empowering young minds is key to ensuring the long-term survival of our forests and species like the Cape Parrot. These children are the future champions of conservation, and their enthusiasm and creativity give us hope for a sustainable tomorrow. #capeparrotproject

Here's what our Limpopo team was up to last month! 🌿 🦜 We observed 69 Cape Parrots in October, with exciting reports of fledglings showing up at feeding sites! The Cape Parrots have been moving in smaller groups or pairs, indicating that adults are introducing their fledglings to the world. 🔭 Our team dedicated 48.5 hours to monitoring morning gathering sites, pecan feeding sites, active cavities, and evening observations. 🥜 The Cape Parrots have been enjoying a diet of ripe pecans and wild plums. Though the pecan season is winding down, the Mexican Bird Cherry cherries are ripening and will soon be on the menu around Haenertsburg and the Highlands. Our monitoring at a local pecan orchard shows birds still gathering for the last few nuts, and we’re hopeful for more fledgling sightings! 🌳 Observations of new nests indicate a healthy breeding season, with pairs exhibiting nurturing behaviours toward their young. A camera trap has been set up at Birthday Nest to monitor activity. 📸 We’re also exploring new nest sites, with a newly discovered Sephiri Nest — meaning secretive — now under observation! Your support allows us to continue this vital work, monitoring and protecting the Cape Parrot. Help us spread the word and protect these beautiful birds. 🦜💚 #capeparrot #capeparrotproject

Become a citizen scientist! Submit your sightings to our national Cape Parrot monitoring database. We are collecting national sighting records of the Cape Parrot to carry out vital monitoring that evaluates the health of their population and confirms the effectiveness of our conservation efforts. We invite you to share any sightings of the Cape Parrot you encounter, particularly in the Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Limpopo. Ways to report your sighting: 👉 Email us at hello@capeparrotproject.org 👉 Send a WhatsApp message with your sighting information to 0636010858. 👉 Log your sighting using the BirdLasser app (join the Cape Parrot Project cause to ensure the data comes to us). Thank you for helping us protect the Cape Parrot! #capeparrot #capeparrotproject #southafrica