PROJECT DESCRIPTION
BACKGROUND
The Bearded Vulture is a rare species in Europe. Its distribution is patchy, following a widespread decline over the last two centuries, principally as a result of direct or indirect human causes. The population in the Balkans was the last to become extinct at the beginning of this century, and the species now only remains in the Pyrenees, Crete and Corsica. Since the mid-1980s the species has been reintroduced to several European mountain ranges, accounting for a total of 207 pairs.
The Cinereous Vulture (hereafter CV) is also a rare species in Europe, with breeding autochthonous and remnant populations now found only in Spain, Portugal and Greece, while it has been reintroduced in France. The total European population is estimated at 2,300-2,500 pairs, of which about 90% are in Spain.
These two target species had a stable population in Bulgaria until the first decade of the 20th century, but it is believed that the populations were completely wiped out around the 1970s. The decline is mostly attributed to the use of (now banned) poison baits to control predators, direct persecution of birds of prey, and changes in traditional animal husbandry practices, leading to a decline in the vultures’ food base.
Based on long-term conservation initiatives in Bulgaria, however, the circumstances for vultures have changed for the better. The best evidence for this is the successful restoration of the closely related species, the Griffon Vulture Gyps fulvus (GV). Thanks to local reintroductions, the national population of the GV exceeded 160 pairs in 2022 and continues to follow an upward trend. This was followed by the successful reintroduction of the CV in 2018/2019 and the first breeding attempts of 3-5 pairs and the very first fledged chicks in 2021 and 2022 in two different sites (as a result of the Vultures back to LIFE project).
OBJECTIVES
The Bearded Vulture LIFE project aims to upscale the conservation results of previous LIFE projects implemented in Bulgaria by re-establishing the former range of Bearded Vultures (BV) and Cinereous Vultures (CV) in the Balkans through strategically reintroduced and autochthonous populations.
The project aims to:
- Implement state-of-the-art methods to launch BV reintroduction and complete the restoration of CV in the Balkan Mountains of Bulgaria through direct release of captive bred and translocated individuals in key Natura 2000 sites.
- Limit key threats through actions to combat poisoning, wildlife crime and electrocution.
- Enhance the food base of the two targeted vulture species through supporting extensive farming practices, establishing new supplementary feeding sites and reinforcing key prey species.
- Improve habitat quality by implementing vulture-friendly forest management and installing artificial nesting structures.
- Contribute to capacity building and public awareness, ensuring vulture acceptance and mutually beneficial co-existence with local people.
The project will have a demonstration character, and its experience, best-practices and results will be used to initiate similar vulture restoration and conservation actions in neighbouring countries including, Romania, Serbia and North Macedonia.
The partnership involves eight partners including NGOs, a private company and state institutions, and covers 12 Natura 2000 Special Protection Areas (SPAs) in Bulgaria, Romania and Spain.
RESULTS
The project’s expected results are:
- A minimum of 1 territorial occupancy of 3 individuals/pairs in the project area in Bulgaria/Balkans that will be the base for future boosting by more releases and also starting self-reproduction.
- Three distinct colonies of CV established in Bulgaria (two in the Balkan mountains and one in southwest Bulgaria) thereby tripling the number of colonies/nuclei of the species in the Balkan Peninsula, reaching a total number of 25-30 pairs by the project's end.
- Doubling of the total Balkan Peninsula breeding population of the CV to 55-66 pairs and ensured exchange of individuals between the different colonies/nuclei.
