130925-studie-wildlife-comeback-in-europe

Action Description Impact
Monitoring and
planning
Well implemented national monitoring
programmes in most of the countries with
breeding populations.
High
Compliance and
enforcement of
legislation
Site/area
protection
Species
reintroduction
Habitat and
natural process
restoration
Legislation
Education and
awareness
Campaign against the use of poison: great
achievements in Spain; almost no progress in the
Balkans.
There are 289 IBAs identified for Griffon vulture
in Europe, of which 40% are fully designated as
SPAs or other protected areas and 12% are not
protected.
Finalized programs in France and ongoing projects
in Italy, Bulgaria and Cyprus [43] . Planned projects
for Romania.
Artificial feeding sites, reintroduction of wild
ungulates, free disposal of carcasses in the field,
work with local livestock breeders.
National legislation protecting the species exists
in all range countries.
National regulations on the establishment of
feeding stations exists in some countries, need to
be developed in others.
The main focus of public awareness raising
activities are connected with the poisoning threat
or the food availability.
Table 3. Conservation actions in place for Griffon vulture.
Critical
High
High
Critical
High
High
In Spain, the Griffon vulture became legally
protected in 1966, and as a result, population
recovery started in the mid-seventies [45] . Reintroduction
programs have taken place in southern
France since the 1980s. The first of these began in
1981 in the Grands Causses region (Massif Central),
leading to a population of >400 pairs in 2013,
followed by three other programs in the southern
French Alps, leading to >300 pairs in 2013 [46] . Four
reintroduction projects have also established
populations in north-eastern, central and southern
Italy and in Sicily [4] . A reintroduction project is also
underway since 2010 in Stara Planina Mountain,
Bulgaria (Vultures Return in Bulgaria LIFE08
NATY/BG/278 Project) [47] .
It is forecast that the species will continue to
increase, mostly in southeastern Europe, and
has the potential to recolonize parts of its former
European range where it is still absent. However,
this is dependent on the implementation of
effective anti-poison work throughout the Griffon
vulture range, and the continuing establishment
of more feeding stations.
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