Black-cheeked lovebird  (Agapornis nigrigenis)

Between the 1920s and the 1960s, the black-cheeked lovebird was heavily exploited for the cage-bird trade (2). Fortunately, current trade in live specimens is at a very low-level. However, since the mid-20th century, gradual desiccation within the black cheeked lovebird’s range, attributable to a decline in annual rainfall of around five millimetres a year, has significantly narrowed the amount of suitable habitat available to this species. This is further exacerbated by the recent establishment of numerous hand-pumped bore-holes, which under heavy usage reduce the amount of groundwater supplying natural water sources. Consequently, the black-cheeked lovebird, which avoids water actively disturbed by humans or livestock, is increasingly more dependant on artificial sources, such as watering points for cattle (2) (6). This lovebird is also considered by farmers to be a serious agricultural pest, accounting for significant damage to millet and sorghum crops in southern Zambia (2) (6) (7). However, efforts by local farmers to protect their crops are largely ineffective and rarely harmful to the birds (2) (6).

While evidence suggests that the demand for wild caught black-cheeked lovebirds is very low, it remains important that a ban, instituted in the 1930s, in the trade of wild caught birds continues to be enforced. The current primary objective of black-cheeked lovebird conservation is to reduce disturbance at existing water sources and to create additional permanent drinking sites. It is hoped that this will encourage the species to return to areas within its former range. A further priority of conservationists is to continue interacting with farming communities, particularly in schools, to promote lovebird conservation amongst local people. In the long-term, it is also imperative that the black-cheeked lovebird population is monitored on a regular basis to inform future conservation measures (2) (6).