- The team planted over 8,000 trees to help the fewer than 2,000 Cape Parrots left in the wild.
- Local communities grow the saplings and sell them to the project to earn an income while restoring nature.
The endangered Cape Parrot has received a massive gift this festive season in the form of a restored home.
The Cape Parrot Project has finished planting more than 8,000 indigenous trees to repair the damaged forests where these birds live.
There are fewer than 2,000 of these parrots left in the wild. They rely on healthy forests to survive.
For 15 years, the team has been working to fix patches of forest in the Eastern Cape. These areas were hurt by old logging practices that removed the big Yellowwood trees the birds use for nesting.
This recent planting included over 20 different types of trees.
“Helping us rebuild structure, diversity, and the long-term resilience of South Africa’s indigenous forests,” the project shared.
The work is not just good for the birds. It helps people too.
The project partners with nearby communities who collect seeds and grow them in nurseries. The project then buys the baby trees back to plant them.
This creates jobs and puts money into the pockets of local families.
Big teams from Greenpop, Fairtree, and Brownie Points joined the field staff to get the job done. They hauled seedlings and planted each tree with love.
So far, the project has planted more than 72,000 trees and restored over 200 hectares of land.
Every new tree planted is a promise of a safer future for South Africa’s rarest parrot.
Pictured above: The Cape Parrot Project members at work.
Image source: Cape Parrot Project/Facebook
