The value of transhumance for biodiversity conservation: Vulture foraging in relation to livestock movements

Natividad Aguilera-Alcalá,José M Gil-Sánchez,José A Sánchez-Zapata,José A Donázar,Eneko Arrondo,Roberto Pascual-Rico,Zebensui Morales-Reyes,Marcos Moleón

doi:10.1007/s13280-021-01668-x

Natividad Aguilera-Alcalá, José M Gil-Sánchez + Show 6 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.1007/s13280-021-01668-x

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Abstract

In recent decades, intensive techniques of livestock raising have flourished, which has largely replaced traditional farming practices such as transhumance. These changes may have affected scavengers’ behaviour and ecology, as extensive livestock is a key source of carrion. This study evaluates the spatial responses of avian scavengers to the seasonal movements of transhumant herds in south-eastern Spain. We surveyed the abundance of avian scavengers and ungulates, and analysed the factors affecting the space use by 30 GPS-tracked griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus). Griffons’ foraging activity increased in the pasturelands occupied by transhumant herds, which implied greater vulture abundance at the landscape level during the livestock season. In contrast, facultative scavengers were more abundant without transhumant livestock herds, and the abundance of wild ungulates did not change in relation to livestock presence. We conclude that fostering transhumance and other traditional farming systems, to the detriment of farming intensification, could favour vulture conservation.

Highlights

Humans and scavengers have maintained a close and changing relationship since our origins
We considered as response variable the ‘‘abundance’’ of griffon vultures observed per point count
The results obtained from field observations and the GPStracked griffon vultures revealed that vulture abundance in the studied pastureland increased after transhumant herds had arrived

Summary

Introduction

Humans and scavengers have maintained a close and changing relationship since our origins Avian facultative scavengers were more abundant during the no livestock season (Fig. 2), with the carrion crow being the most frequently observed species, followed by common raven and golden eagle (Table 1). Adding ‘‘nestling’’ period to the previous model did not improve R2 (Table 3), which suggests that the increased abundance of griffon vultures in the study area during the livestock season was not related to changes in breeder behaviour in relation to either the nesting season or movements of young vultures.

Results

Conclusion