Vulture crises in South Asia and West Africa … and monitoring, or the lack thereof, in Africa

Abstract

With the lack of monitoring of vultures in Africa in mind, I convened this Round Table Discussion (RTD) optimistically entitled ‘Development of an integrated and standardised vulture monitoring programme in Africa’. My concerns were founded on the following: (1) of the eleven species of vultures that occur in Africa, eight are endemic or near-endemic (and therefore not, or only marginally, found beyond the continent’s borders) and thus their conservation rests in the hands of Africans (Table 1); (2) of these endemic/near-endemics, two species are classified as ‘Vulnerable’ (BirdLife International 2004); (3) although some vulture species have relatively large populations, the numerical status of others is precarious (Table 1); (4) the Asian Vulture Crisis has shown that without proper monitoring, a population crash can take place virtually undetected; and (5) JeanMarc Thiollay and Guy Rondeau’s study has shown that vultures in West Africa are in serious trouble. I believe that there is some urgency in initiating Pan African vulture monitoring projects, especially as we know little about spatial distribution, population sizes or breeding success for all African vultures (perhaps except for the Cape Griffon). A monitoring project should: (1) determine population trends, (2) identify problems and detect sources of mortality, and (3) evaluate the success and effectiveness of conservation measures. The RTD was attended by 27 conference delegates, including a few prominent African and European vulture researchers and conservationists, and senior representatives from BirdLife International. As an introduction, I gave an overview of the status of African vultures and highlighted the need for an African monitoring programme. I proposed that an African vulture monitoring project should involve the following: (1) development of one (or perhaps two or three) simple, standardised, coordinated, systematic and cost-efficient monitoring techniques; (2) monitoring of the colonially nesting Gyps vultures (at least two visits a year to get an indication of colony size and breeding success); (3) surveillance of the health of vultures by non-invasive monitoring (e.g. collection of faeces, feathers) and opportunistic sampling of dead vultures and trapping of live birds (for example, for toxicological and parasitological studies); and (4) counts of vultures at migration entry points into Africa (such as of Eurasian Griffons at the Straits of Gibraltar and at the Middle East land bridge, and of Egyptian Vultures at the Straits of Gibraltar, the Straits of Sicily to Cap Bon, Eilat and Suez, and across the Bab al Mandab Straits to Dijibouti). During the RTD it was revealed that some local vulture monitoring using different methodologies takes place in Africa. In southern Africa, in particular, Cape Griffons are monitored at c. 14 breeding sites, African White-backed Vultures at c. four sites and Lappet-faced Vultures in at least three countries. Thanks to Munir Virani and Simon Thomsett, some work is also being undertaken in Kenya, including the monitoring or Ruppell’s Griffons at the Kwenia breeding site. In Uganda, Derek Pomeroy and his colleagues have initiated a carcass monitoring programme (i.e. counts of vultures at carcasses) and the initial results have been published in Vulture News (50: 29–33). As far as I am aware, in Tanzania and Ethiopia, no vulture work is being conducted, with the last work in the former country being a recent helicopter survey at the Ruppell’s Griffon breeding site in the Gol Mountains. Some vulture work was recently undertaken by Afrique Nature International’s Guy Rondeau (see Vulture News 51). Incidental records are also kept by various expatriates working in several West African countries (such as by Clive Barlow in The Gambia). Several North Africans (from Tunisia, Algeria and Morocco) who attended the vulture RTD (or who I spoke to at the PAOC) indicated that a limited amount of vulture conservation work and monitoring had commenced in their countries, which is of course good news. Importantly, these ornithologists and conservationists were keen to initiate additional projects. Back to the West African Vulture Crisis, however, where there is much urgency in addressing the situation in this part of our Continent. Guy Rondeau believes that the following are priorities: (1) produce a West African Regional Vulture Alert (alert Copyright © NISC Pty Ltd OSTRICH ISSN 0030–6525 doi: 10.2989/OSTRICH.2007.78.2.47.127 Ostrich 2007, 78(2): 415–416 Printed in South Africa — All rights reserved