PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The conservation status of the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is listed as near threatened at European level and endangered in France. Before vulture reintroductions started, the Alps represented a huge barrier separating populations in the Pyrenees and Iberia from those of the Balkans. To bridge the distance between the populations of the western Alps and the eastern Pyrenees, it was essential to establish a new core population of bearded vultures and to promote exchanges between the populations, with a view to forming a true European metapopulation. This was the aim of the LIFE Gypconnect project (LIFE14 NAT/FR/000050) which ran from 2015 to 2022 and sought to create new populations of bearded vultures between existing ones in the Alps and the Pyrenees. The LIFE Gyp’Act project will build on the work of LIFE Gypconnect.
OBJECTIVES
LIFE GYPACT's goal is to restore and conserve the bearded vulture and improve the viability of populations. It aims to do so by increasing the number of bearded vultures spread from the Pyrenees to the Alps via the Massif Central, through the release of up to 60 birds. The project will also tackle the many threats facing bearded vultures: the decline and distribution of populations, electrocution and collisions with power lines and wind turbines, shooting, poisoning, disturbances and disparities in access to food.
It will focus on the following specific objectives:
- Establishing new core populations between the French Alps and the Pyrenees by releasing young bearded vultures;
- Reducing mortality caused by electricity networks and, potentially, on wind farms;
- Reducing mortality due to intentional destruction and intoxication, through active surveillance, additional police resources and training;
- Fewer disturbances of bearded vultures, improving stakeholder acceptance via awareness-raising activities, and establishing a new rescue centre; and
- Securing and improving access to food resources through new rendering areas.
RESULTS
Expected results:
- Up to 60 bearded vultures released, with 2 to 4 new pairs settled;
- 150 km of power lines surveyed and 20 km of high-risk power lines secured;
- Risks from wind power mitigated through compliance with the legal framework and active surveillance of birds (90 raptors equipped with GPS technology);
- Intentional destruction and intoxication reduced through an action plan, strengthened monitoring and a new canine team, leading to a 25-50% decrease in mortality caused by shooting and a 20% reduction in mortality resulting from intoxication;
- 6-12 bearded vultures cared for at a new bird rescue facility;
- Relevant stakeholders engaged to reduce vulture disturbances and increase social acceptance; and
- Access to food resources improved via 10-20 new rendering areas and a coherent feeding strategy with Spain.
