1、 REPORT ON THE MID-TERM IMPLEMENTATION REVIEW OF THE MULTI-SPECIES ACTION PLAN TO CONSERVE AFRICAN-EURASIAN VULTURES(VULTURE MSAP)Overall project management Umberto Gallo-Orsi,CMS Raptors MOU Head of the Coordina.ng Unit umberto.galloorsiun.org Compiled by Andr Botha,Endangered Wildlife Trust Projec

2、t Leader,Mid-term Implementa.on Review of the CMS Vulture MsAP andrebewt.org.za Jane Doherty,Endangered Wildlife Trust Project Intern,Mid-term Implementa.on Review of the CMS Vulture MsAP janedewt.org.za Jenny Weston,Royal Society for the ProtecIon of Birds Technical Advisor,Mid-term Implementa.on R

3、eview of the CMS Vulture MsAP Jenny.Westonrspb.org.uk Jovan Andevski,Vulture ConservaIon FoundaIon European Regional Coordinator and Technical Advisor,Mid-term Implementa.on Review of the CMS Vulture MsAP j.andevski4vultures.org Roger Safford,BirdLife InternaIonal Senior Programme manager:Preven.ng

4、Ex.nc.ons Roger.saffordbirdlife.org Jos Tavares,Vulture ConservaIon FoundaIon Chief Execu.ve Officer j.tavares4vultures.org Chris Bowden,Royal Society for the ProtecIon of Birds Asia Regional Coordinator,Mid-term Implementa.on Review of the CMS Vulture MsAP Chris.Bowdenrspb.org.uk Fadzai Matsvimbo,B

5、irdLife InternaIonal Africa Regional Coordinator,Mid-term Implementa.on Review of the CMS Vulture MsAP Fadzai.matsvimbobirdlife.org Lovelater Sebele,BirdLife InternaIonal Africa Regional Coordinator,Mid-term Implementa.on Review of the CMS Vulture MsAP Lovelater.Sebelebirdlife.org Ibrahim Al-Hasani,

6、BirdLife InternaIonal Middle East Regional Coordinator,Mid-term Implementa.on Review of the CMS Vulture MsAP Ibrahim.Alhasanibirdlife.org Updated threat mapping Rob Davies,HabitatInfo Ralph Buij,The Peregrine Fund,Wageningen University Leah Dunn,The Peregrine Fund Evan Buechley,The Peregrine Fund Ch

7、ris McClure,The Peregrine Fund Contributors/Respondents List of contributors/respondents that submiXed completed ques.onnaires can be found in Annex 10.1.Recommended citaIon Botha A,Doherty J,Weston J,Andevski J,Safford R,Tavares J,Bowden C,Matsvimbo F,Sebele L,Al-Hasani I,Gallo-Orsi U.2024.Report o

8、n the Mid-term Implementa.on Review of the Vulture Mul.-species Ac.on Plan to conserve African-Eurasian Vultures.Abu Dhabi:CMS Raptors MOU Secretariat AcknowledgementThe development of this Mid-Term Implementation Review was made possible by generous support provided by the Environment Agency Abu Dh

9、abi(EAD)through the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia(Raptors MOU)established in the framework of the Convention on Migratory y Species of Wild Animals(CMS).i Table of contents Acronyms.iii EXECUTIVE SUMMARY.v 1 Introducon.1 2 Objecves o

10、f the review.3 3 Methods.3 4 Assessment of Threats.6 5 Biological Assessments.11 5.1 Overview.11 5.2 Assessments by species.11 5.2.1 Bearded Vulture(Gypaetus barbatus).11 5.2.2 Egypan Vulture(Neophron percnopterus).12 5.2.3 Red-headed Vulture(Sarcogyps calvus).13 5.2.4 White-headed Vulture(Trigonoce

11、ps occipitalis).13 5.2.5 Hooded Vulture(Necrosyrtes monachus).13 5.2.6 Himalayan Griffon(Gyps himalayensis).13 5.2.7 White-rumped Vulture(Gyps bengalensis).14 5.2.8 White-backed Vulture(Gyps africanus).14 5.2.9 Indian Vulture(Gyps indicus).14 5.2.10 Slender-billed Vulture(Gyps tenuirostris).15 5.2.1

12、1 Cape Vulture(Gyps coprotheres).15 5.2.12 Rppells Vulture(Gyps rueppelli).15 5.2.13 Griffon Vulture(Gyps fulvus).16 5.2.14 Cinereous Vulture(Aegypius monachus).16 5.2.15 Lappet-faced Vulture(Torgos tracheliotos).17 6 Overall Implementaon Review and Conservaon Effort Assessment.17 6.1 Implementaon o

13、f the Vulture MsAP across Afro-Eurasia.17 6.2 Policy-development,legislave change and enforcement in support of MsAP.21 6.3 Financial investment in vulture conservaon.22 6.4 Respondents percepons of the Vulture MsAP implementaon.24 7 Implementaon of Individual Objecves.26 7.1 Implementaon of Objecve

14、 1:Achieve a significant reducon in mortality of vultures caused unintenonally by toxic substances used in the control and hunng of vertebrates.26 7.2 Implementaon of Objecve 2:Recognise and minimise mortality of vultures by non-steroidal an-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)and occurrence and threat of tox

15、ic NSAIDs throughout the range covered by the Vulture MsAP.31 7.3 Implementaon of Objecve 3:Ensure that policies on the phasing out the use of lead ammunion is implemented throughout the Vulture MsAP range.36 ii 7.4 Implementaon of Objecve 4:Reduce and eventually halt the trade in vulture parts for

16、belief-based use.39 7.5 Implementaon of Objecve 5:Halt declines in vulture populaons associated with sennel poisoning by poachers.43 7.6 Implementaon of Objecve 6:Reduce vulture mortality caused by electrocuons linked to energy transmission and generaon infrastructure.46 7.7 Implementaon of Objecve

17、7:Reduce vulture mortality caused by collisions linked to energy transmission and generaon infrastructure.49 7.8 Implementaon of Objecve 8:Ensure or increase availability of poison-free food and water for vultures to sustain populaons.52 7.9 Implementaon of Objecve 9:Ensure availability of suitable

18、habitat for vultures to nest,roost and forage.55 7.10 Implementaon of Objecve 10:Reduce direct persecuon and disturbance caused by human acvies.57 7.11 Implementaon of Objecve 11:Support vulture conservaon through cross-cufng acons that may contribute to migaon of most or all threats.59 7.12 Impleme

19、ntaon of Objecve 12:Advance vulture conservaon by effecve promoon and implementaon of the Vulture MsAP.63 8 Conclusions and Recommendaons.65 9 References.67 10 Annexes.70 10.1 Contributors and Acknowledgements.70 10.2 Threat assessment data.74 10.2.1 Perceived changes in threats to vultures at a cou

20、ntry level,as idenfied by respondents.74 10.2.2 Detailed threat maps.74 10.3 Demographic data by vulture species.74 10.3.1 Updated demographic status of each species.74 10.3.2 Updated demographic data for each species.74 10.3.3 References for demographic data(where provided).74 10.4 Legislaon,polici

21、es and protocols developed since the Vulture MsAP,by region.74 10.5 Literature search.74 iii Acronyms API Acon Priority Score BBU Belief-based Use CITES Convenon on Interna)onal Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora CMS Convenon on Migratory Species COP Conference of the Pares EU Europ

22、ean Union IS Implementaon Score IVAD Internaonal Vulture Awareness Day LIFE European Unions funding instrument for the environment and climate acon MOU Memorandum of Understanding MsAP The Vulture Mul-species Acon Plan MTIR Medium-term Implementaon Review NIS Naonal Implementaon Score NSAID Non-Ster

23、oidal An-Inflammatory Drug PS Priority Score REACH Registraon,Evaluaon,Authorisaon and Restricon of Chemicals RIS Regional Implementaon Score SAVE Saving Asias Vultures from Exncon TEV Total Economic Value VCF The Vulture Conservaon Foundaon VSZ Vulture Safe Zone iv v EXECUTIVE SUMMARY INTRODUCTION

24、The Mul-species Acon Plan for African-Eurasian Vultures(Vulture MsAP)was adopted at CMS COP12 in October 2017 and suggests appropriate acons to halt and eventually reverse the declines in populaons of Old-World vulture species across the flyways.Its implementaon framework recommends that the Vulture

25、 MsAP be reviewed six years into its 12-year implementaon meframe that will conclude in 2029.In April 2023,the CMS Raptors MOU contracted the drahing partners of the Vulture MsAP to conduct a Mid-term Implementaon Review(MTIR),to assess the scale of implementaon across the range halfway through the

26、implementaon meframe of the Vulture MsAP.This document presents the findings of the MTIR process,which are based on feedback gathered from 106 respondents across the Vulture MsAP range.The feedback was collected through quesonnaires,follow-up interviews and a review of reports and other relevant lit

27、erature.RESULTS Threats The priorisaon of threats as reflected in the Vulture MsAP has not changed.Nonetheless,the following aspects need to be bejer assessed and monitored:Intenonal poisoning(or hunng)for belief-based use,bushmeat and trade is a more severe problem than appreciated in the past,espe

28、cially in West Africa.The global shih to renewable energy,and consequent wind farm development,means that the collision risk for vultures will increase.Mortality from electrocuon is also increasing in relave importance,partly associated with the switch to renewable energy.The decline in food availab

29、ility for vultures in some parts of Europe may be relavely less important than in the past,presumably because of intervenons in recent years.As many of the species covered by the Vulture MsAP connue to decline,being aware of emerging and new threats is crical:Climate change is now bejer recognized a

30、s a threat operang through mulple avenues.Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza has the potenal to impact on populaons of crically endangered and endangered vulture species that are already under pressure from other known threats.Demographic trends Census data in many countries remain scant,although the

31、re have been significant improvements in data availability(including trends)in some regions and countries.vi Vulture populaons are recovering slightly in some countries,parcularly in Europe.Three main aspects are key to this:adequate conservaon legislaon;good engagement from government organisaons,N

32、GOs and research instuons;and significant allocaons of funding,resulng in conservaon acons Many vulture populaons are sll declining at a precipitous rate,especially in Africa where data are especially scant and where monitoring is ohen difficult due to logiscal and other constraints.Implementa4on Th

33、e Vulture MsAP promotes the implementaon of 124 Acons designed to help populaons to recover to sustainable levels and covers policy and legislaon,research and monitoring,educaon and awareness,and on-the-ground intervenons.These Acons are designed to achieve 44 Results and 12 wider Objecves.Of the 12

34、4 Acons,17 were idenfied as Essenal,requiring immediate implementaon.To assess progress,Regional Implementaon Scores were calculated for each region,based on respondents assessments of their countries progress with implemenng the 124 required Acons.Scores can be between 1(no progress)and 4(Acon full

35、y completed)and are based on the average of all acons relevant to the countries within a parcular region.There is significant variaon between regions with higher scores achieved in Europe and South Asia,compared to elsewhere in the Vulture MsAP geographical scope.This highlights the effects on conse

36、rvaon of large funding programs,such as the European Unions LIFE programme,and the coordinated effort of the SAVE program,which account for 71%and 17%of all funds spent on vulture-specific conservaon since 2017.At this point in the Acon Plan implementaon meframe,an average implementaon score across

37、the enre range of between 2-2.5 would have been expected,but it currently stands at only 1.61.In addion,progress with the 17 Acons idenfied as Essenal in order to immediately address crical issues has only been marginally faster than with other Acons.This report calculated an Acon Priority Index(mea

38、ning that acon is now even more urgent)for 12 of the Essenal Acons,whereas 11 of them should already have been completed by the me of this review.Nonetheless,there has been considerable progress with developing enabling legislaon,policy and protocols across several countries.A lack of policy was not

39、 seen by respondents as the main stumbling block to progress;a lack of funding was idenfied as the main constraint,followed by a lack of capacity to implement Acons and a lack of polical will and engagement in support of these Acons.CONCLUSIONS AND RECOMMENDATIONS A significant amount of work has be

40、en done towards achieving the Results envisaged by the Vulture MsAP.This is testament to the efforts of many stakeholders,including the many NGOs whose efforts are ohen cited in this report.The threats facing vultures are not subsiding and there is no room for complacency.As already menoned,new thre

41、ats are on the horizon and,in several Range States,the poor security situaon compromises conservaon.vii Much more work needs to be done over the remaining 6 years of the Vulture MsAP to bring about a posive and substanal change in vulture populaons across the range.The main recommendaons emerging fo

42、r Range States,donors and other stakeholders from this report are:1.Strengthen poli;cal engagement and financial support Greater engagement and financial support from Range State governments and major donor instuons are encouraged,especially in regions that have experienced challenges and insufficie

43、nt support in this regard to date.2.Build capacity to implement conserva;on ac;ons Beyond polical support and financial resources,enhanced capacity is required to implement conservaon intervenons,most importantly in terms of developing skilled staff,but also in terms of management systems,logiscs,in

44、formaon technology and so forth.3.Focus on the implementa;on of Essen;al Ac;ons It is sll important to pay parcular ajenon to,and support,the 17 Essenal Acons,where they are relevant to a parcular countrys context,to enable full implementaon within the next 6 years.Scaling up intervenons is urgent i

45、n some countries.4.Enable the establishment of the Implementa;on Framework proposed by the Vulture MsAP Support the Coordinang Unit of the CMS Raptors MOU to acquire the resources for establishing the Implementaon Framework and contracng the relevant staff capacity to coordinate work associated with

46、 the Vulture MsAP.5.Con;nue facilita;ng the Vulture Working Group and monitoring the Vulture MsAP The CMS Secretariat,in line with Resoluon 12.10(Rev COP13),should connue to facilitate the Vulture Working Group and its associated structures and team of coordinators,including by connuing to encourage

47、 engagement,communicaon,cooperaon and collaboraon between the stakeholders.It is also important to coordinate and monitor the plan during the lajer half of its implementaon term to ensure its effecve execuon.6.Commence the review and update of the CMS Vulture MsAP 2028/2029 To enable connuity and ma

48、intain momentum,it is important for the Signatories and Cooperang Partners of the CMS Raptors MoU with the support of the Coordinang Unit to already start planning and securing the resources for a review and update of the CMS Vulture MsAP before the expiraon of its 12-year implementaon on In October

49、 2017 at the 12th Conference of the Pares(COP12)to the Convenon on the Conservaon of Migratory Species of Wild Animals(CMS),held in Manila in the Philippines,the Mul-species Acon Plan for African-Eurasian Vultures(Vulture MsAP)was formally adopted(Botha et al.,2017).It provides hope for the future a

50、nd a road-map with suggested Objecves,Results and Acons to halt and eventually reverse the declines in the populaons of 15 species of Old World vultures across the flyway.The Vulture MsAP promotes the implementaon of 124 different Acons designed to help populaons to recover to sustainable levels,and

51、 covers policy and legislaon,research and monitoring,educaon and awareness,and on-the-ground intervenons.These Acons are designed to achieve 44 Results and 12 wider Objecves which,in turn,are designed to address the major threats facing vultures occurring in the region.Of the 124 Acons,17 were idenf

52、ied as Essenal,requiring immediate implementaon.These include 13 which were designed to address specific threats(although not all are applicable to every region(Table 1).The Vulture MsAP covers a meframe of 12 years(2017-2029)and its Implementaon Framework recommends assessment of progress towards t

53、he achievement of its Objecves,Results and Acons on a regular basis.As the Vulture MsAP calls for a review every 6 years,the 14th Conference of the Pares(COP14)to be held in Samarkand,Uzbekistan in February 2024,provides the opportunity and represents the appropriate forum to present the outcomes of

54、 the review.The CMS Raptors MOU Coordinang Unit engaged in 2023 with the Endangered Wildlife Trust,BirdLife Internaonal,the Royal Society for the Protecon of Birds,the Vulture Conservaon Foundaon and HabitatInfo to coordinate and lead this process with extensive input from members of the IUCN Specie

55、s Survival Commissions Vulture Specialist Group,Range State governments and CMS contact points.This report reflects the results of the analysis of feedback received through the Mid-term Implementaon Review(MTIR)process and should be seen not only as a measure of what has been achieved to date but,mo

56、re importantly,an indicaon of where work should be targeted in the next 6 years to fully implement the objecves of the Vulture MsAP.This report should be read in conjuncen illegally)in the control and hun&ng of vertebrates Action 1.1.1 Conduct an overall situation analysis of wildlife poisoning asso

57、ciated with human-wildlife conflict,with special attention to vulture mortality:covering state of knowledge,drivers and motivations,poisons used(actually or potentially),analytical capacity,hotspots,knowledge gaps and best practice on reducing conflicts and related poisoning.Action 1.1.3 Implement a

58、wareness campaigns,specifically covering(a)negative impacts on vultures and other non-target species;(b)likely ineffectiveness of poisoning as a problem animal control technique;(c)impacts of poisoning on human and livestock health;and(d)legal alternatives to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.Action

59、1.2.2 Establish protocols and train and support relevant agency staff(conservation,rangers,police,judiciary)to rapidly respond to poisoning incidents including sharing best practice.Action 1.3.2 Review,introduce and enforce strict penalties for illegal wildlife poisoning acts,sufficient to deter fut

60、ure poisoning.Objec&ve 2.To recognise and minimise mortality of vultures by non-steroidal an&-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)and occurrence and threat of toxic NSAIDs throughout the range covered by the Vulture MsAP Action 2.1.2 Prohibit or withdraw veterinary use of diclofenac,ketoprofen and aceclofenac

61、 for the treatment of livestock and substitute it with readily available safe alternatives,such as meloxicam in all Vulture MsAP Range States.Action 2.1.3 Develop a formalised approval process before market authorisation is granted for all veterinary NSAIDs and seek to identify additional safe alter

62、natives to NSAIDs toxic to vultures.Objec&ve 3.To ensure that CMS Resolu&on 11.15 on the phasing out the use of lead ammuni&on by hunters is fully implemented.Action 3.1.4 Promote the implementation of CMS Resolution 11.15 by all CMS Parties as well as voluntary lead ammunition bans in Vulture MsAP

63、Range States which are not CMS Parties.Objec&ve 4.To reduce and eventually to halt the trade in vulture parts for belief-based use.Action 4.2.1 Initiate stakeholder engagement and dialogue with relevant stakeholders,publish and share research and monitoring results on belief-based use of vultures wi

64、th relevant Government departments(e.g.Environment,Agriculture,Health)and other stakeholders to agree appropriate national actions.Objec&ve 5.To reduce and eventually to halt the prac&ce of sen&nel poisoning by poachers.Action 5.4.1 Expand poisoning response training programmes to support conservati

65、on staff to rapidly respond to poisoning incidents Objec&ve 6.To substan&ally reduce vulture mortality caused by electrocu&ons linked to energy genera&on and transmission infrastructure Action 6.1.2 Complete sensitivity mapping for Vulture MsAP range.Adding to existing analyses(e.g.Red Sea flyway)to

66、 identify areas where energy infrastructure poses greatest electrocution risks to vultures;combine tracking data,site prioritisation,vulture counts and other sources.Action 6.3.1 For new and existing energy infrastructure,promote the implementation of CMS guidelines by phasing out energy infrastruct

67、ure designs that pose electrocution risk to vultures and other birds,and advocate retro-fitting with known bird-friendly designs within current maintenance schedules.Objec&ve 7.To substan&ally reduce vulture mortality caused by collisions linked to energy transmission and genera&on infrastructure.Ac

68、tion 7.1.2 Complete sensitivity mapping for the entire Vulture MsAP range.Adding to existing analyses(e.g.Red Sea flyway)to identify areas where energy infrastructure poses greatest collision risks to vultures;combine tracking data,site prioritisation,vulture counts and other sources.Action 7.3.1 Fo

69、r new and existing energy infrastructure,promote the implementation of CMS guidelines by phasing out energy infrastructure designs that pose collision and electrocution risk to vultures and other birds,and advocate retro-fitting with known bird-friendly designs within current maintenance schedules O

70、bjec&ve 11:Support vulture conserva&on through cross-cung ac&ons that may contribute to mi&ga&on of most or all threats Action 11.1.1 Census 2018-2019+census 2028-2029 of all species to monitor the population size,breeding productivity,distribution and trends across the Vulture MsAP range.Action 11.

71、3.1 Conduct a Total Economic Value(TEV)study of vultures which includes their role as providers of ecosystem services and in generating eco-tourism attraction.Action 11.4.4 Develop VSZ criteria and promote application and implementation of this approach to address all critical threats throughout the

72、 Vulture MsAP range.Objective 12:Advance vulture conservation by effective promotion and implementation of the Vulture MsAP.Action 12.1.2 Establish a Framework to coordinate implementation of the Vulture MsAP,including central and regional coordination units to facilitate implementation,support and

73、review across the range.Note:As will become clear later,each Ac&on in the Vulture MsAP is numbered according to first the Objec&ve,and then the Result,that it fall under.Ac&ons in bold were supposed to have been completed in the first 6 years of the Vulture MsAP.3 2 Objecves of the review The Mid-te

74、rm Implementaon Review of the Vulture MsAP had the following objecves:Obtain an overall assessment of the progress towards the implementaon of all 124 recommended Acons under the 12 CMS Vulture MsAP Objecves.Esmate the overall effecveness of the acon plan to meet the planned populaon recovery objecv

75、es,using the latest available populaon esmates and trend.Determine an overall Naonal Implementaon Score(NIS)for each country and at sub-regional level across the range.Review and update priority threats for each region and obtain informaon on more pernent and emerging threats from feedback received.

76、Assess progress on implementaon and achievements of results and acons under each of the 12 Objecves of the CMS Vulture MsAP.Determine an overall esmate of the funding sourced and spent on acvies in support of the Vulture MsAP in all regions.Review and update a selecon of threat analysis maps include

77、d in the 2017 Vulture MsAP.Collate all peer-reviewed research publicaons with a focus on Old World vultures published since the adopon of the Vulture MsAP in 2017,possibly to be made available as a reference source through various plaoorms following compleon of the review.Make recommendaons on steps

78、 needed to fully implement the Vulture MsAP in the remaining 6 years.3 Methods There are 12 Objecves within the Framework for Acon for African-Eurasian Vultures.These each relate to a specific threat to vultures.These Objecves seek to achieve 44 Expected Results on the basis of 124 Acons:each Acon i

79、s numbered according to the Result and Objecve under which it falls.Not all Acons are relevant to all regions or Range States.The Vulture MsAP provides informaon on the regional relevance of each Acon and suggests priories at Range State level.This report uses the method set out by Gallo-Orsi(2001)f

80、or BirdLife Internaonal to review acon plan implementaon.Using an online quesonnaire,experts from Range States were asked to score each Acon from the Framework for progress in their implementaon(see Table 2 for scoring opons and codes).Respondents were also asked whether outstanding Results were lik

81、ely to be achieved in the remaining 6 years of the Plan.Data on threats facing vultures and species status were also collected.Aher considerable effort idenfying potenal respondents and sending out reminders,104 quesonnaires were received back from 72 countries(Table 3).An addional 2 quesonnaires pr

82、ovided regional responses.This means that 54%of the countries or territories falling under the Vulture MsAP range(Annex 10.1)provided responses.However,some countries might be considered more important“core”states with significant breeding,wintering or passage populaons,whereas several other countri

83、es might be called“marginal”(Annex 10.1).Quesonnaires were received from 78%of the 90 core states,which can be considered a high response rate(but only 14%of the 36 marginal states).However,several 4 respondents leh certain secons of their quesonnaire blank.This means that the results presented in t

84、his report are not necessarily complete.Table 2:Scoring op.ons and codes for progress with implementa.on Implementa)on Implementa)on score(IS)Ac.on fully implemented,no further ac.on required(100%)4 Significant results,but work s.ll to be done(51-75%)3 Some work done,further ac.on needed(11-50%)2 Li

85、Rle or no work carried out(0-10%)1 Not needed/not relevant for the Vulture MsAP Framework for Ac.on*0*this meant the Ac&on was not considered further for the purpose of this analysis Table 3:Breakdown of country responses by region Region No.of countries No.of respondents North Africa 2 5 West and C

86、entral Africa 10 12 East Africa 7 13 Southern Africa 10 18 Middle East 11 14 Europe*17 22 Central Asia 5 5 East Asia 3 4 South Asia 4 7 South East Asia 3 4 Total 72 104*Trkiye is classified as part of Europe,as in the Vulture MsAP Figure 1:Type of organisa.on represented in responses Note:Public ref

87、ers to Range State governments Academic8%NGO66%Private5%Public21%5 Around two thirds of replies were submijed by NGOs(Figure 1).Around a quarter(22%)were from respondents working in government.This in itself suggests that government engagement in vulture conservaon remains low,at least in some parts

88、 of the Vulture MsAP range.Where more than one response was received for a country,this was considered by regional coordinators and an average score was assigned.Regional coordinators also ensured comparability across the range as well as highlighted any omissions and key areas of work.Responses rec

89、eived for a region,as opposed to an individual country,were included for the producon of regional and plan-wide esmates only.The Implementaon scores provided by respondents were combined with priories taken from Table 6(Framework of Conservaon Acons for African-Eurasian Vultures)in the Vulture MsAP

90、and are defined in Table 4 below to give an Acon Priority Index(API)for each Acon in each country:Ac;on Priority Index API=Priority Score PS x(4 Implementa;on Score IS)3)Table 4:Defini.on of priority scores in the Vulture MsAP Priority category Priority score(PS)Priority scale of ac)ons Essen.al/Cri

91、.cal 4 Ac.on needed to prevent a large decline in the popula.on which could lead to the species or sub-species ex.nc.on High 3 Ac.on needed to prevent a decline of 20%of the popula.on in 20 years Medium 2 Ac.on needed to prevent a decline of 20%of the popula.on in 20 years Low 1 Ac.on needed to prev

92、ent a local popula.on decline or which is likely to have only a small impact on the popula.on across the range An API of 4 means the acon should be high priority to advance in the next 6 years,as illustrated by Table 5.The lower the score the less urgent the acon going forward.Table 5:Range of possi

93、ble API scores resul.ng from the combina.on of PS and IS scores Source:Weston&Nikolov(2023)An addional analysis was carried out to find the Naonal Implementaon Score(NIS)for each country,an average which combines the urgency of an acon(that is,its priority)with its implementaon level.Acons were only

94、 included for analysis where at least 20 responses had been received.NIS was calculated as:NIS=(PSxIS)PS PSIS 0 1 2 3 4 4 n/a 4 2.67 1.33 0 3 n/a 3 2 1 0 2 n/a 2 1.33 0.67 0 1 n/a 1 0.67 0.33 0 6 The Priority Score(PS)for this part of the analysis was taken from the country-specific priorisaon in Ta

95、ble 6 of the Vulture MsAP.This was to ensure a more tailored approach to the naonal implementaon scoring(as the PS used to calculate the API was available only on a regional,not country-specific,basis).Where a country-specific score was not available because of lack of informaon on the threat,for ex

96、ample,the priority score for the whole Result as from Table 6 in the Vulture MsAP was used,as described earlier.The range of the NIS score is the same as for the IS score,with 1 represenng lijle or no implementaon or 4 represenng full implementaon.All lines with IS of 0(and considered not relevant i

97、n that member state)were excluded from this exercise.For the individual NIS,Acons which came under Objecve 12(“To advance vulture conservaon by effecve promoon and implementaon of the Vulture MsAP”)were not included in the calculaon as they were primarily dependent on the CMS Raptors MOU and the Vul

98、ture MsAP Coordinaon Group.Regional Implementaon Scores were also calculated using the same method.4 Assessment of Threats Respondents were asked to idenfy whether there are any significant changes to the relave regional priorizaon of threats as presented in the Vulture MsAP(Figure 2).They were also

99、 asked to idenfy any new or emerging threats in their countries(the detailed data provided by respondents are recorded in Annex 10.2.1).Figure 2:Map from the CMS Vulture MsAP(Figure 18 in Botha et al.(2017)indicang crical and high priority threats facing African-Eurasian vultures)Note:threats are ca

100、tegorized as critical or high but are not ordered within each category according to relative severity,as this varies by country 7 It is important to note that the Vulture MsAP provided very broad categories on priority threats across whole regions(and by species)but not by country.Several respondent

101、s noted different priories within their own country,or changes in the relave importance of pre-exisng threats,and these are reflected in Annex 10.2.1.The discussion here only considers whether priories have changed across a region or flyway as a whole.A last caveat is that,given the limited research

102、 on relave threat levels,it is difficult to know whether perceived changes reflect actual changes,or simply greater awareness of,pre-exisng threats.Where scienfic evidence to support this is missing,further research is required.Respondents indicated that the crical and high priority threats idenfied

103、 in the Vulture MsAP sll pertain as a general rule,although the relave importance of each threat may vary between countries or have changed within countries over me.Countries generally face mulple threats,some highly parcular to their own contexts,but some general trends are discernible:Intenonal po

104、isoning(or hunng)for belief-based use,bushmeat and trade seems to be a more severe problem than appreciated in the past(Chandra et al.,(in press).This is well-documented in West Africa(Copsey et al.,2022,UNEP-WCMC,2021)but was also raised as a concern for some other African regions further afield.Wi

105、nd energy development(either constructed or proposed)is clearly a growing threat in most regions,reflecng the global move to renewable energy.More research is required to quanfy the impact of collisions with turbines on vulture populaons and other migratory soaring birds on these flyways,as well as

106、on the effecveness of mortality migaon techniques(e.g.,automac detecon tools of incoming birds for shut-down on demand).Electrocuon is also increasing in relave importance as a cause of mortality,due to an increase in energy infrastructure,and partly associated with the switch to renewable energy.Th

107、is is important in Eurasia as well as Africa.The decline in food availability for vultures in some parts of Europe may be relavely less important than in the past,presumably because of intervenons in recent years.As many of the species covered by the Vulture MsAP connue to decline,being aware of eme

108、rging and new threats is crical.Respondents and the MTIR working group have considered the following emerging threats which need to be monitored and further examined:Climate change was highlighted as a new threat,but the impacts of climate change are diffuse,difficult to measure and linked to more p

109、roximal causes,such as loss of habitat and food sources.Being able to quanfy these impacts is likely to be an area of work going forward.The potenal impact of Highly Pathogenic Avian Influenza(HPAI)on vulture populaons has been recorded from various parts of the flyway,parcularly from Spain,France(D

110、uriez et al.,2023)and The Gambia(Camara,personal communicaon,2023).Considering the impact that this disease has had on other populaons of wild birds(at all levels of the food chain),it is important to be aware of the addional impact it may have on populaons of crically endangered and endangered vult

111、ure species that are already under pressure from other known threats.The impact of the virus on the Crically Endangered Californian Condor in the United States in 2023 is a case in point(US Fish and Wildlife Service,2023).Other emerging diseases,like West Nile Virus,have also killed wild vultures,an

112、d need to be taken in consideraon(Loureiro et al.,pre-print).Finally,some respondents did not complete the threat secon and some others replied that they did not know whether threats had changed.This suggests that there is no or limited research on the causes of declines in vulture species in some c

113、ountries.While understanding of threats is evolving,further 8 research and monitoring is required to inform implementaon strategies.The Vulture Conservaon Foundaon(VCF),for example,runs a Europe-wide vulture mortality database,that is key to evaluate the relave importance of mortality causes in that

114、 connent.Further understanding would inform threat maps,as was previously completed for Africa in the Vulture MsAP.For this report,these threat maps were updated and are presented below.Larger-scale 2023 maps with metadata are available in Annex 10.2.2.As noted later,one of the recommendaons of this

115、 report is that,in future,it would be useful to have similar maps for the rest of the Eurasian vulture range.Figure 3 compares the exposure of vulture populaons to human acvies in Africa in 2017 and 2023.It is evident that the human footprint,and the potenal exposure to a variety on anthropogenic th

116、reats,has expanded substanally since 2017.Figure 4 shows that the predicon of the 2017 map in terms of potenal poisoning hotspots was fairly accurate,especially for Southern and East Africa.It may seem surprising that the likelihood of poisoning in West Africa is not as great as would have been sugg

117、ested by the large-scale intenonal poisoning in Guinea-Bissau of over 2,000 Hooded Vultures in 2020.However,this is because this was a single event in a single country,whereas the model used to develop the map incorporated a number of predictors,including strategies to avoid bias.Another map,which l

118、ooks at belief-based use,highlights poisoning hotspots relang to this pracce,reflecng the Guinea-Bissau incident amongst others(Figure 5):otherwise,this map is similar to the 2017 version,which is therefore not reproduced here.2017 2023 Figure 3:Threat maps for the African region indica.ng the threa

119、t of exposure of vulture popula.ons to human ac.vi.es and the anthropogenic threats associated therewith,from the Vulture MsAP(2017)and the review conducted for the MTIR in 2023 Note:The metadata for the 2023 map are available in Annex 10.2.Improved datasets allowed the model to be improved for Afri

120、ca and also extended into the Arabian peninsula,which accounts for some of the changes since 2017.9 2017 2023 Figure 4:Threat maps for the African region indica.ng the threat of exposure of vulture popula.ons to the likelihood of poisoning,from the Vulture MsAP(2017)and from the review conducted for

121、 the MTIR in 2023 Note:The metadata for the 2023 map are available in Annex 10.2.These include a detailed descrip&on of the indicators used,and the strategies deployed to avoid bias.2017 2023 Figure 5:Threat map for the African region indica.ng the threat of exposure of vulture popula.ons to the lik

122、elihood of belief-based use,conducted for the MTIR in 2023.Known poisoning hotspots associated with belief-based use are indicated in this updated map and reflect the mass-poisoning in Guinea-Bissau in 2020.Note:The metadata for the 2023 map are available in Annex 10.2.In Figure 6,the 2023 map indic

123、ates extensive expansion of electricity networks in all regions in Africa with an increased associated risk.10 2017 2023 Figure 6:Threat maps for the African region indica.ng the threat of exposure of vulture popula.ons to power-line networks and the associated risk of electrocu.on on energy infrast

124、ructure,from the Vulture MsAP(2017)and from the review conducted for the MTIR in 2023.Note:The metadata for the 2023 map are available in Annex 10.2.They explain the system weigh&ngs given to different sorts of power lines.In Figure 7,the 2023 map super-imposes the original model for collision risk(

125、in blue)with two new datasets.The top 5%of areas which are best for sing wind farms are indicated in orange.The vivid,localised colours(ranging from purple to orange)are another over-lay,represenng the risk posed by exisng,under-construcon and planned wind farms.The updated map indicates a significa

126、nt increase in the developed,under-construcon and planned wind farms in most regions,except central Africa,with an associated increased risk of impact on vultures in these areas.2017 2023 Figure 7:Threat maps for the African region indica.ng the threat of exposure of vulture popula.ons to wind turbi

127、nes and the associated risk of collision,from the Vulture MsAP(2017)and from the review conducted for the MTIR in 2023.Note:The metadata for the 2023 map are available in Annex 10.2.These also describe the adjustments to the 2023 map.11 5 Biological Assessments 5.1 Overview Annex 10.3.1 presents the

128、 current demographic status of each species,while Annex 10.3.2 presents all the demographic data submijed by respondents,by species.Although conducng a Full Census was idenfied by the Vulture MsAP as an essenal acvity(Acon 11.1.1),this has not been carried out in all range states.As a result,the dem

129、ographic trends over the past 10 years are not known for many countries,especially in Africa and parts of Asia(10 years is in any case a relavely short period within which to detect change,especially in long-lived species such as vultures).The data submijed as part of this overview were ohen incompl

130、ete:several respondents did not submit any data at all,while several submijed only paral data(not providing breeding populaon trend data,or only providing data for the areas where they work,for example).Nonetheless,for many others there are updated figures and useful notes about changes to the distr

131、ibuon of each species within countries(see Annex 10.3.2).Further details on each species are provided below.The main themes arising from this review are that:1.Census data in many countries remain scant,although there have been improvements in some regions and countries;in parcular,populaon data for

132、 Europe is quite accurate,including trends.2.Vulture populaons are recovering in some countries,notably in Europe,parcularly where government and NGO/research instuons have been engaged and significant funding has been allocated,resulng in significant conservaon intervenons;3.Many vulture populaons

133、are sll declining at a precipitous rate,especially in Africa.This is supported by newly published research which esmates that Hooded Vultures have declined by 67%,White-backed Vultures by 86%,Lappet-faced and White-headed by 90%,and Rppells Vultures by 97%over three generaons,in the savannah areas o

134、f West,East and Southern Africa(Shaw et al.,2024).Declines are worst in West Africa.These percentages are far above the 30%used by the IUCN to idenfy species at risk of exncon.5.2 Assessments by species 5.2.1 Bearded Vulture(Gypaetus barbatus)The Bearded Vulture is a charismac high-altude species oc

135、curring along mountain ranges of the Old World.The species has experienced a global range contracon in the last century mainly due to unintenonal poisoning and direct persecuon.It is considered Near Threatened at a global level.The species is generally increasing in Europe-countries such as Armenia,

136、Austria,France,Greece,Italy,Spain and Switzerland reported an increase in their breeding populaons.This suggests that a variety of conservaon efforts,including reintroducons and reinforcements,are having a posive impact.According to the Vulture Conservaon Foundaons latest populaon data for Europe,th

137、ere were 465 breeding pairs of bearded vultures in this connent in 2021,up from around 100 in the 1980s(Terraube et al.,2022).The Iraqi populaon may also be increasing,while the populaons of Ethiopia and Kenya are stable.Populaons may also be stable in China but the Central Asian countries of Kazakh

138、stan and Kyrgyzstan,12 Turkmenistan and Tajikistan idenfy declines.Syria(where the species probably does not breed any longer),Morocco,Lesotho and South Africa also note declines.The trend data from several countries are scant,either because data were not submijed to the MTIR or because of inherent

139、difficules with monitoring over me.Thus,for example,there are insufficient data from South Asia to comment on the changing status of this species across the Himalayan range.5.2.2 Egyp3an Vulture(Neophron percnopterus)The Egypan Vulture has a northern breeding range across some of the southern Europe

140、an and North African countries through to Central Asia where it is mainly a summer breeding visitor.There are disncve resident populaons in South Asia which is joined by the migrant subspecies there in winter.Across the Sahel and parts of East Africa and Arabia the species is mainly a non-breeding v

141、isitor but also with small resident populaons.The Egypan Vulture was listed as Endangered in 2007.It has been the subject of a specific Flyway Acon Plan for the Conservaon of Balkan and Central Asian Populaons since 2016(Nikolov et al.,2016)and,following its implementaon via two large LIFE projects,

142、the Balkan breeding populaon has stabilised(Weston&Nikolov,2023).No change was recorded in the numbers of migratory birds at key monitoring sites,but a new spring migraon monitoring site has been established in Egypt where 1,000 birds have been recorded(Noby et al.,2022).As part of the mid-term impl

143、ementaon review of the Egypan Vulture Flyway Acon Plan(Weston&Nikolov,2023),addional important areas for the species were also confirmed for further protecon and monitoring.However,the review confirmed that the species is locally exnct in Serbia and Romania.Annex 10.3.2 combines the data from the Eg

144、ypan Vulture Flyway Acon Plan with addional and updated informaon from the MTIR.The following trends emerge in countries that submijed data:an increasing populaon in Israel due to concerted conservaon efforts(reintroducon,reinforcement,safe food availability and insulaon of power lines)and colonisao

145、n of Sardinia;stable populaons in parts of Europe(Albania,Bulgaria,France,Greece,Italy,North Macedonia,Portugal and Spain),Central Asia(Kazakhstan,Kyrgyzstan and Tajikistan),East Asia(Central Asia),South Asia(Pakistan),the Middle East(Oman)and Africa(Algeria,Ethiopia),although in some of these count

146、ries the populaons have barely stabilised;declining populaons in Armenia,India,Turkmenistan,the United Arab Emirates and South Sudan;the formerly resident populaon in Cabo Verde is now probably biologically exnct as no young individuals have been reported in the past few years;and the species is pos

147、sibly exnct in Zimbabwe as there have been no published reports since the Vulture MsAP in 2017).This mixed picture of substanal successes in halng past declines in several countries,at the same me as ongoing declines and connuing exncons in others,reflects the impact that adequate financial allocaon

148、s towards vulture conservaon can have,as well as probably a variety of other socio-economic and polical factors.13 5.2.3 Red-headed Vulture(Sarcogyps calvus)The Red-headed Vulture occurs in parts of South and South-East Asia,but is confined to relavely well forested areas,and at low densies,not bein

149、g a colonial species.It has been listed as Crically Endangered since 2007.Breeding populaon data were only received from two countries,Cambodia and Pakistan,although the main populaons occur in India and Nepal.Cambodia idenfied a decline in the species whereas Pakistan reported that its small popula

150、on is stable.5.2.4 White-headed Vulture(Trigonoceps occipitalis)The White-headed Vulture is found across Sub-Saharan Africa,except in the densely forested areas of Central Africa.It has been listed as Crically Endangered since 2015 and is largely confined to protected areas.Of the 7 countries that p

151、rovided trend data,only 2(Ethiopia and Zambia)felt that the breeding populaon is stable.The remaining 5(Chad,Guinea-Bissau,Malawi,Rwanda and South Africa)noted declines.A local exncon has occurred in one of the provinces of South Africa(KwaZulu-Natal)and the possibility of capve breeding is being ex

152、plored.Generally the demographic figures whether for breeding pairs or total populaon size are very low,except for Mozambique(which has the greatest density of these vultures and is considered a stronghold)and Zambia.5.2.5 Hooded Vulture(Necrosyrtes monachus)The Hooded Vulture is resident throughout

153、 Sub-Saharan Africa.It has been listed as Crically Endangered since 2015.Only 5 counes provided breeding populaon trend data.Two Ethiopia and Tanzania reported that their populaons are stable,but three Burkina Faso,Guinea-Bissau and Malawi reported that they were declining.Unpublished data from 2022

154、 in Guinea-Bissau point to declines of over 80%since a 2016 baseline,following mass poisoning events in at least two cies in 2020,with at least 2,000 hooded vultures poisoned.In Malawi,the species now seems to be uncommon.While the overall situaon in South Africa is unclear,there is an increase in r

155、eporng rates for both adults and juveniles in the province of KwaZulu-Natal.A respondent from Botswana noted that the range of the species should be extended further south within the country than indicated by the map in the Vulture MsAP.5.2.6 Himalayan Griffon(Gyps himalayensis)The Himalayan Griffon

156、 is distributed across the Himalayan range and adjacent countries,as well as further east to Mongolia and central China.The species has been listed as Near Threatened since 2014.Only 3 of the 8 countries where the species is resident provided data.China and Kazakhstan report stable populaons,with th

157、e populaon in China on the Tibetan plateau being parcularly large.14 Tajikistan reports a decline,however.There are no recent trend data from South Asia,despite earlier mixed trends documented from Nepal and India.The respondent from Myanmar noted that the distribuon map in the Vulture MsAP only ind

158、icates the species in the north,whereas it is in reality distributed throughout the country.The respondent from Laos indicated that it might be possible that the species is present in the country near the border.Note that these records away from higher altudes are mainly immatures and subadults duri

159、ng the non-breeding season.5.2.7 White-rumped Vulture(Gyps bengalensis)The White-rumped Vulture sll occurs across much of South Asia,and east through Myanmar to Cambodia and nearby in Laos.It was up-listed to Crically Endangered in 2000 and,since 1992,suffered the steepest decline among the Asian vu

160、ltures,99.9%.This was ajributed mainly to diclofenac use in domesc cajle,a primary food source for the species.Populaons in India have stabilised at the new low level(Prakash et al.,2024).Nepal reports steady significant increases in the breeding populaon there over the past seven years(Galligan et

161、al.,2020),whilst India reports a stabilised populaon.However,Myanmar,Cambodia and Pakistan all report ongoing declines of the small remaining populaons there.5.2.8 White-backed Vulture(Gyps africanus)The White-backed Vulture is the most common and widespread vulture in Africa.Its range extends acros

162、s West,East and Southern Africa,although vagrants have been noted in some North African,Southern European and Middle Eastern countries.The species was up-listed to Crically Endangered in 2015.For this study,of the 20 countries where the species is known to be resident,5 noted a decline(Ethiopia,Mala

163、wi,Mozambique(although this is a supposion based on poisoning incidents),South Africa(although the populaon is stable in some areas)and Tanzania.The respondent from Chad changed the status of the species from resident to non-breeding visitor,although it is not known whether this applies to the whole

164、 country or just a specific reserve.The populaons in Botswana and eSwani could be stable.Zambia notes an increase.The remaining countries with resident populaons did not provide data.This is of addional concern,because it suggests these populaons are not well-monitored or only exist in small numbers

165、.5.2.9 Indian Vulture(Gyps indicus)The Indian Vulture occurs mainly in India but there is also a small breeding populaon in Pakistan.It is also a scarce visitor to Nepal and Bangladesh.The species was listed as Crically Endangered in 2002.Data were only received from India and Pakistan.In the former

166、,the populaon has stabilised(Prakash et al.,2024),whereas in Pakistan the small breeding populaon is declining.15 5.2.10 Slender-billed Vulture(Gyps tenuirostris)The Slender-billed Vulture occurs from the northern parts of India through to Myanmar and Cambodia.The main populaon breeds in Assam,NE In

167、dia,with a small populaon in Nepal and occasionally in Bangladesh.The species was listed as Crically Endangered in 2002 and is the old-world vulture having the smallest populaon overall.Data were only received from Cambodia and Myanmar although there was some feedback also from India.The small popul

168、aon in Cambodia appears more or less stable,but for the populaon in Myanmar there is some suggeson of decline.In India it may be stabilizing,like the other Gyps species,but the data is insufficient to confirm this.5.2.11 Cape Vulture(Gyps coprotheres)The Cape Vulture mainly occurs in South Africa an

169、d Lesotho,but there are two substanal breeding colonies in Botswana and a ny breeding populaon on the border of Mozambique and eSwani.The species was formerly listed as Endangered but was down-listed to Vulnerable following an extensive re-assessment process in 2021(BirdLife Internaonal,2024).This i

170、s because this species is currently considered to be stable to increasing because of concerted conservaon efforts by a wide range of partners and stakeholders within the species range over more than 50 years.Unfortunately,however,no updated demographic data were submijed to the MTIR for South Africa

171、.It is the opinion of a couple of respondents that numbers are increasing in South Africa and possibly in Botswana and,in Lesotho,are either stable or increasing.Records of sighngs may also be increasing in Zambia,although the species does not breed there.5.2.12 Rppells Vulture(Gyps rueppelli)The Rp

172、pells Vulture is distributed across the enre Sahel region as well as East Africa.In recent years it has been increasingly sighted on the Iberian Peninsula,with an average of around 70 birds crossing the Gibraltar straits every year from the several hundred that reach northern Morocco.Although a bree

173、ding populaon has not yet been confirmed in Europe,this is expected soon,parcularly as the species has already hybridized with Eurasian Griffon in Spain(Muoz,Ramrez&Real,2024).It is thought that this colonisaon of Europe may have happened because of individuals following juvenile Griffon Vultures th

174、at spend the northern winter in West Africa,once they return to their breeding grounds in Europe.The species has been listed as Crically Endangered since 2015 and the Vulture MsAP noted that in their historical range they are in steep decline.Unfortunately,almost no trend data were submijed by count

175、ries with breeding populaons for the MTIR,so it is difficult to comment on whether the conservaon status of this species shows signs of changing.However,the number of breeding pairs or total individuals seen annually in most countries is generally very low.An excepon is Ethiopia which reports large

176、numbers of breeding pairs and an increasing trend in populaon.16 5.2.13 Griffon Vulture(Gyps fulvus)The Griffon Vulture breeds in southern Europe,the Middle East,Central and East Asia.The species was thought to be exnct as a breeding species in North Africa,but restarted nesng in Morocco in 2021,and

177、 there is a small but stable breeding populaon in Algeria(Terraube et al.,2022).A significant proporon of the western European populaon(up to 20%)migrate from their breeding grounds south to the African connent during the non-breeding season.The conservaon status of the species has been listed as Le

178、ast Concern since 1988,and it has benefited from a number of reintroducon and reinforcement programmes,notably in Bulgaria,France,Cyprus and Italy.Generally,the species is one of the bejer-documented species,with 22 of the 29 countries where resident populaons are known,providing trend data.Posive n

179、ews for the species is that increasing populaons are reported in 9 European countries(Andorra,Armenia,Bulgaria,France,Greece(mainly Crete),Italy,Portugal,Serbia and Spain)plus Israel,while populaons are stable in Croaa,Cyprus,Kyrgyzstan,North Macedonia and Tajikistan.In Croaa,the species began nesng

180、 on the mainland in 2022,reportedly as a result of feeding staons.According to(Terraube et al.,2022),there were 30,438 41,984 breeding pairs in Europe in 2019 alone,with some countries(e.g.,Spain)registering an increase of about 200%in the last 30 years.Griffon Vultures do not seem to be doing as we

181、ll in the rest of the Middle East and Central Asia,however,with Jordan,Kazakhstan,India,Syria,Turkmenistan and Trkiye reporng declining populaons.5.2.14 Cinereous Vulture(Aegypius monachus)The Cinereous Vulture breeds in some southern European countries,the Middle East,Central Asia and East Asia.As

182、a paral migrant,some individuals migrate south of their breeding range in the northern winter,as reflected by the large number of countries(29 out of 44)recording non-breeding populaons,passage migrants or vagrants.The Cinereous Vulture has been listed as Near Threatened since 2004 and is the subjec

183、t of a 2018 Flyway Acon Plan developed in parallel with the Vulture MsAP.From a historic low point,the populaon of Cinereous Vultures has been steadily recovering since the 1980s and the latest survey of the European populaons shows an increasing trend in number of breeding pairs.Measures to protect

184、 wildlife from wildlife poisoning have resulted in a rapid recovery of the species in the Western populaon(Spain and Portugal).Efforts to reintroduce Cinereous Vultures began in France in the 1990s which has seen the species return to the south-western part of the country and respondents from Armeni

185、a,Bulgaria,France,Portugal and Spain reported increasing breeding populaons over the past 10 years,although the increase is small in some cases.In Bulgaria the species has been re-introduced since 2018 and is now breeding for the first me in decades.In Greece and Kazakhstan,the breeding populaon see

186、ms to have stabilised.Increased sighngs are reported in countries where the species over-winters or is a passage migrant and vagrant,such as in Switzerland,North Macedonia,Iraq and West Africa.Unfortunately,the species is sll declining in Kyrgyzstan,Tajikistan,Trkiye,Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan,whil

187、e trend data for other breeding populaons in Iran,China and Mongolia are not available.Despite the re-introducon success in Bulgaria,the Balkans remains an area where the species is confronted by many threats(Terraube et al.,2022).17 5.2.15 Lappet-faced Vulture(Torgos tracheliotos)Lappet-faced Vultu

188、res are distributed widely across Sub-Saharan Africa and in parts of the Middle East,except in densely forested areas in West and Central Africa.The species has been listed as Endangered since 2015.Unfortunately,relavely lijle seems to be known about the species demography,with only four of the 22 c

189、ountries with known resident populaons(Chad,Niger,South Africa and Zambia)able to provide some breeding pair data,although most of the data are incomplete.Trend data for breeding populaons are therefore also scant,although South Africa and Tanzania idenfy a decline,eSwani and Rwanda report that this

190、 formerly resident species has not been sighted for over a decade,and two years,respecvely,and Malawi notes that the range of the species within the country has contracted.It is of concern that similar negave trends could be happening in other countries but are not idenfied because of lack of data.H

191、owever,a more posive situaon persists in Ethiopia which has a stable populaon,while Zambia reports an increase in sighngs(although it is not clear whether this corresponds to a growing populaon).The populaon of the species in the Arabian Peninsula belongs to the subspecies Torgos tracheliotos negeve

192、nsis,the Arabian Lappet-faced Vulture(Bruun,1981).This subspecies is even more rare and threatened than the nominate one,found in sub-Sahara Africa,with only about 600 individuals leh in only four countries:Saudi Arabia,Oman,Yemen and the United Arab Emirates(BirdLife Internaonal,2023).Its conservao

193、n Review and Conservaon Effort Assessment Overall progress with the Vulture MsAP,financial investments in vulture conservaon,and obstacles to implementaon are reviewed in overall terms in this secon:separate analyses by the Vulture MsAP Objecves are presented in the following secon.6.1 Implementa9on

194、 of the Vulture MsAP across Afro-Eurasia Figure 8 shows the Regional Implementaon Scores for all the Vulture MsAP Acons,incorporang all the data that were received.These Regional Implementaon Scores(RIS)can be between 1 and 4 and are based on the average of all acons relevant to the countries within

195、 a parcular region.The Figure shows significant variaon between regions with higher scores achieved in Europe and South Asia,compared to elsewhere in the Vulture MsAP range.This highlights the effects on conservaon of large funding programs,such as the European Unions LIFE programme,and the coordina

196、ted effort of the SAVE program(discussed later in this secon).18 Figure 8:Mid-term Regional Implementa.on Scores(RIS)for the CMS Vulture MsAP across Afro-Eurasia Note:red line=average RIS At the halfway point of this Acon Plan implementaon meframe an average implementaon score of between 2-2.5 would

197、 have been expected,but it currently stands at only 1.61.This is a clear indicaon that more resources and engagement are required to meet the overall targets set for the implementaon of acons over the next 6 years across all regions:this is discussed further later in this secon.The Naonal Implementa

198、on Scores(NIS)for individual countries in Figure 9 again show that there is considerable variaon between countries within individual regions.When progress is examined at this level,there are only a few countries that have assessed themselves as having achieved an IS above 2,and even fewer above 2.5.

199、When the score for the Acons categorized by priority for implementaon is considered(Figure 10),it is evident that Essenal acons have not been implemented more quickly compared to Medium or High Priority acons,as was recommended by the Vulture MsAP.However,it may be that some Essenal acons require a

200、suite of other acons to be in place before they can be implemented properly.Equally,some Essenal acons may be harder to implement.00.511.522.533.54East AfricaNorth AfricaSouthern AfricaWest and Central AfricaCentral AsiaEast AsiaSouth AsiaSouth East AsiaEuropeMiddle EastRegional Implementaion ScoreM

201、sAP regions 19 Figure 9:Mid-term Na.onal Implementa.on Scores(NIS)for the Vulture MsAP by country Note:red line=average NIS;colour of bars indicates region(see Figure 8 for colour coding of regions)0.000.501.001.502.002.503.003.504.00EthiopiaKenyaRwandaSomaliaSouth SudanTanzaniaUgandaAlgeriaMoroccoA

202、ngolaBotswanaEswatiniLesothoMalawiMozambiqueNamibiaSouth AfricaZambiaZimbabweBeninBurkino FasoChadLiberiaMauritaniaGambiaGuinea BissauNigerNigeriaSenegalKazakhstanUzbekistanMongoliaBangladeshIndiaNepalPakistanCambodiaLaosMyanmarAlbaniaArmeniaBulgariaCroatiaFranceGreeceItalyNorth MacedoniaPortugalSer

203、biaSloveniaSpainSwitzerlandTurkiyeIranIraqIsraelJordanLebanonOmanPalestineSaudi ArabiaSyriaUAEYemenNational Implementation ScoreCountries grouped by region 20 Figure 10:Average Implementa.on Score by priority of Ac.on Singling out the 17 Essenal Acons,only Acon 11.1.1(conducng a census of demographi

204、c data)has achieved an Implementaon Score of 2(Figure 11).Because all these Acons have a Priority Score of 4,twelve of them have an Acon Priority Score above 3(three have an Acon Priority Score above 3.5.),whereas the vision of the Vulture MsAP was that 11 of the Acons would already have been comple

205、ted by this review.Figure 11:Average Implementaon and Acon Priority Scores,for each Essenal Acon Key:hashed bars=Ac&ons that should already have been completed;solid bars=Ac&ons that need to be completed by the end of the Vulture MsAP period(2029)00.511.522.533.54MediumHighEssentialAverage Implement

206、ation ScoreLevel of priority0.000.501.001.502.002.503.003.504.000.000.501.001.502.002.503.003.504.001.1.11.1.31.2.21.3.22.1.22.1.33.1.44.2.15.4.16.1.26.3.17.1.27.3.111.1.111.3.111.4.412.1.2Average ISAverage APIActionAPIIS 21 Comparison of the average Implementaon Scores for acons that should have be

207、en completed or be close to full implementaon in the first six years of the Vulture MsAP,to acons intended to be implemented over the longer term,shows a small difference of about 0.5(Figure 12).It would have been expected that the scores for acons to be implemented in years 1-6 should be significan

208、tly higher,and ideally completed at this point.Figure 12:Average Implementa.on Score by.meframe 6.2 Policy-development,legisla9ve change and enforcement in support of MsAP Annex 10.4 summarises in detail the informaon provided by respondents on legislaon,policies and protocols that have been develop

209、ed since the adopon of the Vulture MsAP.Legislaon,policies and protocols typically take considerable me and stakeholder engagement before they can be enacted and published,and therefore represent a significant effort in creang a legal and policy framework to support conservaon.Respondent feedback in

210、dicates that there have been reviews and improvement in legislaon supporng vulture conservaon in at least 27 Range States since the adopon of the Vulture MsAP.Changes included the improvement of conservaon and protecon status of vulture species and improvement in legislaon to either prohibit or cont

211、rol the use of poison(discussed in more detail later).Another posive development has been the banning of the use of certain NSAIDs for veterinary use in Cambodia,India,Iran and Oman,but the legalisaon of the use of rodencides to control stray dogs in Cabo Verde raises concerns for the Egypan Vulture

212、 populaon there.A further development has been the tabling of a resoluon to request an invesgaon on,and greater efforts to reduce,the illegal trade of vultures for belief-based use led by three West African countries at CITES COP18 in Geneva in 2019.An assessment was subsequently conducted,shared an

213、d used as guidance for the drahing of the West African Vulture Conservaon Acon Plan(Chandra et al.,(in press)that specifically focuses on addressing this threat across 15 countries in West Africa.A further good development has been progress in the process to eventually ban lead from all hunng ammuni

214、on in the European Union(EU).From 15 February 2023 onwards,the use of lead ammunion became illegal in and around wetlands across all the EUs 27 countries,Liechtenstein,Iceland and 00.511.522.533.54Years 1-6Years 7-12Average Implementation ScoreTimeframe 22 Norway.The ban on lead ammunion,a toxic ele

215、ment seriously affecng nature,wildlife and human health,is a meaningful step forward to protect the wildlife that falls vicm to lead poisoning every year.The EU is now seeking the total phase-out of lead ammunion for hunng,including on terrestrial habitats,and this connues to be a priority to help r

216、estore the populaons of vultures and other scavenging species.The EU Commission will prepare a legislave proposal and submit it to a vote by the EU Member States in the Commijee on the Registraon,Evaluaon,Authorisaon and Restricon of Chemicals(REACH)soon.Before any restricon can be adopted,the Europ

217、ean Parliament and Council will review and examine it thoroughly.With respect to policy guidance,13 Range States have reported that Conservaon Acon Plans specifically focused on vultures or addressing one of more of the threats that impact them,such as poisoning or illegal killing,are in process or

218、have been completed.Zimbabwe was the first African country to complete and have its Naonal Vulture Acon Plan rafied by government in 2018.Range States should be encouraged to consider steps and plan for the provision of resources towards the implementaon of Naonal Acon Plans during the planning proc

219、ess to support successful implementaon once plans have been completed and approved.Protocols with regard to the improved management and invesgaon of poisoning incidents have been a significant focus in several countries across the flyway,parcularly in Europe,where vultures are now legally protected

220、across the whole European range.Details on further acons to combat poisoning are described in Secon 7.1.6.3 Financial investment in vulture conserva9on Full implementaon of the Vulture MsAP is enrely dependent on funding,and it is clear from respondents comments discussed below that funding has been

221、 the primary liming factor since the Vulture MsAPs adopon.Most acons within the Framework require financial resources,governmental engagement and long-term commitment,ohen based on the availability of financial resources in the Range States.According to the data collected through the MTIR online que

222、sonnaire and addional publicly available informaon for Europe(LIFE Programme,2023),there was an investment of at least USD64,718,467(nominal prices)in vulture-specific conservaon projects across the enre Vulture MsAP range from adopon(2017)to this implementaon review(2023)(Figure 13).The actual inve

223、stment could be significantly higher,as data are missing from several Range States,and especially as the figure does not include budgets for broader conservaon efforts(such as protected areas)which provide huge benefits to vultures(Shaw et al.,2024).In addion,due to limitaons in the data received,pr

224、ices are expressed in nominal terms(i.e.,not adjusted for inflaon).23 Figure 13:Financial investment in vulture conserva.on since the adop.on of The Vulture MsAP,by region(US dollars(nominal prices),using the official World Bank exchange rate to convert local currencies for 2022)Almost three-quarter

225、s of the funding(71%or just over USD46 million)was provided and invested in Europe.Of this,about 70%was contributed by the European Union through the LIFE Programme.Over the last 30 years,an average of USD 8,000,000 has been invested annually in vulture conservaon in Europe,primarily focused on EU m

226、ember states.As expected,this funding is concentrated in vulture strongholds such as Spain,Portugal,France,Italy,Bulgaria,and Greece,targeng threats like wildlife poisoning and collisions with,or electrocuon by,energy infrastructure,along with significant investments in vulture reintroducon and rein

227、forcement projects.South Asia received the next highest proporon of funding at 16%(just over USD 10 million)due to SAVE projects,which also funded projects in South-East Asia to the tune of USD 720,000(an addional 1%of total funding).Very lijle data were received from Central and East Asia and so it

228、 is not possible to comment on funding levels there.The third best funded region was the Middle East which received 6%of the total(almost USD 4 million),with up to 70%of this funding allocated to Lebanon and Saudi Arabia for iniaves targeng collisions,electrocuon,other vulture threats and research.S

229、outhern and East Africa each represent a significant investment of 2%of the total.Southern Africa saw almost USD 1.5 million,with 45%of this invested in South Africa.In East Africa,almost 90%of the USD 1,391,668 total was invested in Tanzania.There is a notably lower investment in North Africa(1%of

230、the total)and in West and Central Africa(less than 1%),but this is potenally due to a lack of data.While acknowledging missing data in this survey,the available informaon nevertheless provides a picture of the overall scale of financial investments across the Vulture MsAP regions,and hence the level

231、 of engagement by government authories and donors.The level of this engagement reflects the successful Vulture MsAP implementaon in some regions and countries,notably in Europe and South Asia,ulmately resulng in posive trends in some vulture populaons.East Africa:1,391,668 North Africa:651,111 South

232、ern Africa:1,414,315 West and Central Africa:246,652 East Asia:32,027 Central Asia:unknownSouth Asia:10,128,000 South-East Asia:720,000 Europe:Middle East:3,878,076 24 Financial investment in vulture conservaon across the Vulture MsAP geographical scope is not just a commitment to preserving a uniqu

233、e group of bird species but an investment in the health and stability of enre ecosystems,and on strengthening essenal ecosystem services.By addressing the complex challenges vultures face,funding iniaves which enable scavengers to thrive benefits both wildlife and human communies.6.4 Respondents per

234、cep9ons of the Vulture MsAP implementa9on Following their assessment of progress in achieving the various Acons and Results(reported in detail in a later secon),61 respondents expressed their overall opinions about the implementaon of the Vulture MsAP in their country(they were able to give more tha

235、n one response).Only 8%of 78 responses(half of these from Europe)expressed sasfacon with the implementaon of the Vulture MsAP(Figure 14).Two countries(Israel and Spain)pointed out that this was partly because vulture conservaon had started a long me before the Vulture MsAP and therefore not all prog

236、ress could be ascribed to it.By way of contrast,the majority of replies acknowledged that there were efforts in their country to implement the Vulture MsAP,but felt that these were hampered by a lack of the essenal ingredients to ensure success.Lack of adequate financing(42%of responses),lack of cap

237、acity(20%of responses)and lack of commitment from the relevant stakeholders(17%of responses)were idenfied as the main impediments to success.Some replies explicitly menoned government stakeholders as lacking commitment,which relates to another 5%of replies idenfying lack of policy as an impediment.O

238、ne respondent expressed the difficules they face as,“it takes constant engagement and refresher training to maintain interest in vulture conservaCon work.”Lack of policies to support conservaon is not seen as the main stumbling block,however,which supports the evidence of considerable progress in de

239、veloping legislave and policy frameworks in many countries described in earlier paragraphs.4%of replies felt that the Vulture MsAP was too ambious for their country to implement,with one respondent nong that the intervenons that fall under the Vulture MsAP affect several sectors,making it very diffi

240、cult for one single enty to co-ordinate all acons.The addional 4%of replies stang that the Vulture MsAP is not relevant to their country can be taken to mean that there has not been sufficient engagement with the Vulture MsAP within their country(see analysis below).Respondents were also asked to ra

241、te their own instuons level of engagement in the implementaon of the Vulture MsAP(Figure 15).10%of 59 respondents said their instuon was not engaged at all,while another 48%felt there was only some engagement with implementaon just iniated.This means that over half of respondents instuons had limite

242、d involvement with the Vulture MsAP intervenons.On the other hand,42%of instuon of Individual Objecves 7.1 Implementa9on of Objec9ve 1:Achieve a significant reduc9on in mortality of vultures caused uninten9onally by toxic substances used in the control and hun9ng of vertebrates Objective 1 Result 1.

243、1:Improved understanding and awareness of human-wildlife conflicts and associated impacts on vultures to inform more effective mitigation approaches.Action 1.1.1 All regions Conduct an overall situation analysis of wildlife poisoning associated with human-wildlife conflict,with special attention to

244、vulture mortality:covering state of knowledge,drivers and motivations,poisons used(actually or potentially),analytical capacity,hotspots,knowledge gaps and best practice on reducing conflicts and related poisoning.Action 1.1.2 All regions Collect,collate(e.g.via database)and share basic standardised

245、 information about poisoning incidents at national,regional and Vulture MsAP-wide levels.Action 1.1.3 All regions Implement awareness campaigns,specifically covering(a)negative impacts on vultures and other non-target species;(b)likely ineffectiveness of poisoning as a problem animal control techniq

246、ue;(c)impacts of poisoning on human and livestock health;and(d)legal alternatives to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.Result 1.2:Conservation authorities,local communities and other stakeholders take collaborative action to tackle unintentional poisoning directed at vertebrate control Action 1.2.1 A

247、frica;Central Asia;Europe;Middle East Promote poison-free alternatives to mitigate human-wildlife conflict and predator control measures e.g.improved livestock management techniques,legal selective trapping and crop protection methods.Action 1.2.2 Africa;Central,South and South-East Asia;Europe;Midd

248、le East Establish protocols and train and support relevant agency staff(conservation,rangers,police,judiciary)to rapidly respond to poisoning incidents including sharing best practice.Action 1.2.3 Africa;Central and South-East Asia;Europe;Middle East Improve protected area management to prevent pois

249、oning incidents in and around park boundaries(buffers around protected areas and better enforcement of park boundary integrity),encouraging local communities to form or join local wildlife stewardship programmes.Action 1.2.4 Africa;Central,South and South-East Asia;Europe;Middle East Review,improve

250、and implement compensation and/or livestock insurance schemes where appropriate for vulnerable local communities in response to depredation of livestock by wildlife.Action 1.2.5 Africa;Central and South-East Asia;Europe;Middle East Improve benefit-sharing of conservation revenue from protected areas

251、 with local communities to increase the benefits derived from wildlife and therefore discourage poisoning.Action 1.2.6 Africa;Central and South-East Asia;Europe;Middle East Increase capacity and resources of local wildlife and law enforcement authorities to respond to human-wildlife conflict inciden

252、ts rapidly and effectively.Action 1.2.7 Africa;Central Asia;Europe;Middle East Engage positively with agrochemical producers to investigate methods to repel non-target species from consuming poisons.Action 1.2.8 Africa;Central,South and South-East Asia;Europe;Middle East Investigate and promote vult

253、ure-safe protocols and guidelines for vertebrate control for the disposal of carcasses at dumpsites e.g.sterilisation and vaccination programmes for feral dog control,and including improving management practices at dumpsites for vultures.Result1.3:Legal and policy measures respond to causes and impa

254、ct of unintentional poisoning directed at vertebrate control.Action 1.3.1 All regions Review,develop and significantly increase enforcement of appropriate legislation to control,ban or restrict the sale,storage,distribution,use and disposal of toxic chemicals used in the indiscriminate killing of wi

255、ldlife.Action 1.3.2 All regions Review,introduce and enforce strict penalties for illegal wildlife poisoning acts,sufficient to deter future poisoning.Action 1.3.3 All regions Implement environmental Agreements,resolutions and mandates(e.g.CMS+Bern-Tunis Action Plan,CBD).Note:The Essen.al Ac.ons are

256、 highlighted in red;bold wri.ng indicates Ac.ons meant to have been completed by this review;the regions where the Ac.ons are relevant are also indicated.27 As shown in the threat assessment map(Figure 2),one of the most substanal threats to vultures is the use of poison baits in the control of pred

257、ators and problem animals.This is reflected in the number of Essenal Acons contained within this Objecve and the fact that so many of the Acons were planned to be completed within the first 6 years of the Vulture MsAP.Box 1 provides some examples of projects which fall under Objecve 1,for countries

258、which provided some descripon of their acvies.Figure 16 shows none of the Acons for this Objecve are,on average,more than 50%complete,as the IS scores all fall below 2.It is worrying that this includes the very first(and Essenal)Acon 1.1.1,a situaon analysis of the extent and reasons for unintenonal

259、 vulture poisoning.This means that many countries do not yet know the level and dynamics of this threat,a situaon that needs to be resolved urgently,as one respondent explained for their own country:“This ObjecCve is achievable assuming a dedicated effort is put in place for research and implementaC

260、on.LiLle to no research has been done to tackle this issue,and it is unlikely acCon will be taken prior to research.There are no known current or future research plans focused on intenConal or unintenConal poisoning directed at vertebrate control.The extent and reasons for poison use by local farmer

261、s and communiCes must be understood.”Figure 16:Average Ac.on Priority Index(API)and Implementa.on Score(IS)by Ac.on,for Objec.ve 1 Key:red=essen&al,orange=high,yellow=medium;hashed=should already have been completed Nonetheless,overall,there does seem to have been an ajempt to focus on higher,rather

262、 than lower,priority intervenons.The excepon that stands out is limited progress with introducing and enforcing stricter penales for illegal wildlife poisoning(Acon 1.3.2).This seems to be the Acon with the most immediate need for strengthening,both because it has the highest API,but also because it

263、 is an Acon that should already have been completed(relevant legislave changes,policies and protocols that have been introduced in some countries appear in Annex 10.4).Achieving legislave change,and improved enforcement,is parcularly difficult as it involves a range of government sectors,requiring e

264、ngagement with many stakeholders and generang the polical will to introduce changes,and capacity-building for coordinaon and implementaon.All of these processes can take me.As one respondent expressed it,“The main issue with poisoning is that several agencies are responsible and managing components

265、of the work.This is really challenging.”Echoing an earlier point,another respondent added that,“There is a lot of knowledge gaps that need to be addressed before legislation,00.511.522.533.5400.511.522.533.541.1.1(n=58)1.1.2(n=56)1.1.3(n=57)1.2.1(n=46)1.2.2(n=57)1.2.3(n=51)1.2.4(n=52)1.2.5(n=46)1.2.

266、6(n=51)1.2.7(n=45)1.2.8(n=49)1.3.1(n=56)1.3.2(n=58)1.3.3(n=55)Average ISAverage APIActionAverage of APIAverage of IS 28 law enforcement and community engagement can be improved.”.Good progress in Europe on this with the Wildlife Crime Academy can be a good model for others to replicate.Strengthening

267、 awareness campaigns(Acon 1.1.3)and providing protocols and training for rapid response to poisoning incidents(Acon 1.2.2)are the other two Acons that stand out in Figure 16 as requiring urgent ajenon.One respondent noted that,despite pufng considerable effort into awareness campaigns in their count

268、ry,large parts of the populaon have probably sll not been reached,while another noted that awareness needs to be followed up with intervenons to change pracces on the ground:these comments highlight the complexity of Acon 1.1.3.Looking at regional differences(Figure 17),Europe stands out as having t

269、he lowest API,followed by Southern Africa(for Result 1.1 and 1.2)and East Asia(for Result 1.3,although this is a very small sample).This means that they have progressed further with addressing these problems than other regions.However,unintenonal poisoning is not a crical threat in West and Central

270、Africa,unlike in other regions which may explain why it has received relavely less ajenon.Figure 17:Average Ac.on Priority Index(API)by Region and Result,for Objec.ve 1 Key:horizontal black bar=average API Figure 17 suggests that,overall,there has been more progress in tackling Result 1.2(the on-the

271、-ground conservaon intervenons),which is commendable,despite the shoroall with Acon 1.2.2 described above.The progress can be ascribed to the implementaon of a range of iniaves to combat wildlife poisoning in Europe,including the establishment and successful compleon of 2 Wildlife Crime Academy trai

272、ning cycles in Spain that up-skilled conservaon and law enforcement staff from 15(mainly Balkan)countries in improved management,invesgaon and prosecuon of poisoning incidents in 2022 and 2023.Detailed wildlife poisoning management protocols are available and have been shared widely in both Europe a

273、nd Africa.The connuaon of the Wildlife Crime Academy,and its expansion to cover countries outside Europe,will be key to connued progress in this area.In Africa,more than 7,000 individuals have been trained in the rapid idenficaon,response to,and management of,wildlife poisoning incidents in 18 count

274、ries and numerous sites have drahed and implemented poisoning response strategies that seem to have a posive impact at local level.Kenya was the first country in Africa to adopt a naonal Wildlife Poisoning Response Protocol in 2019.Wildlife Poisoning Response Training was also conducted at two sites

275、 in Cambodia in 2020 and there are plans to expand this to India and Nepal.00.511.522.533.541.1(n=171)1.2(n=397)1.3(n=169)Averaage APIResultEast AfricaNorth AfricaSouthern AfricaWest and Central AfricaCentral AsiaEast AsiaSouth AsiaSouth East AsiaEuropeMiddle East 29 In Kenya,the Coexistence Co-op h

276、ave also iniated a successful programme working in communies to assist with the construcon of predator-proof enclosures for livestock and other measures to protect crops(Result 1.2),as well as creang awareness among thousands of community members about the risks associated with the use of poison bai

277、ts.This iniave is also being expanded to Tanzania.Similar iniaves,especially with regard to greater awareness of the use of poison baits and the consumpon of poisoned wildlife products,have also been introduced in 6 countries in the Southern African Development Community(SADC)region,to date reaching

278、 many communies bordering large naonal parks and other protected areas.In Southern Africa,there have been recent iniaves to establish protocols for the treatment and release of poisoning vicms that survive poisoning incidents,resulng in significant reducons of mortalies of vultures and other wildlif

279、e at incidents that are detected early.Many countries seem to have legislaon in place to regulate the use of chemicals and prosecute irresponsible or intenonal use that causes harm to the environment and wildlife in parcular,but the effecve implementaon and enforcement thereof is ohen lacking in man

280、y countries(Result 1.3).In Europe,acons to target the judiciary sector are now starng,also within the framework of the Wildlife Crime Academy,and this needs to be further strengthened.Figure 18:Percentage achievability of Objec.ve 1 Results in the remaining 6 years of the Vulture MsAP Note:n=66 for

281、Result 1.1,n=65 for Result 1.2,n=66 for Result 1.3 Lastly,when asked whether they thought that Objecve 1 results could be achieved by the end of the Vulture MsAP(that is,within the next 6 years),respondents were generally not hopeful(Figure 18).Just under 60%felt that Result 1.1 would be achieved,an

282、d only 40%Result 1.2.Only a third believed Acon 1.3 would be achieved.Around a fihh of respondents felt there was not enough data to know whether results could be achieved which,in itself,suggests that progress is likely to be too slow.One respondent made the point that it will be difficult to achie

283、ve change at a naonal scale unless intervenons extend beyond protected areas.Another reflected on how difficult it is to implement these sorts of intervenons:“In my country there are security challenges,a lack of skilled employees and required materials are not available.”0%10%20%30%40%50%60%70%80%9

284、0%100%1.11.21.3Percentage of responsesResultNo dataNot achievableAchievableFully achieved 30 Box 1:Examples of projects implemented under Objec.ve 1,where these were provided by respondents*legisla&ve and policy changes are summarized in Sec&on 6.2 Balkan states BalkanDetox LIFE project is implement

285、ed in Albania,Bosnia&Herzegovina,Bulgaria,CroaVa,Greece,the Republic of North Macedonia and Serbia,to tackle illegal wildlife poisoning by raising awareness and strengthening naVonal capaciVes(hXps:/balkandetoxlife.eu/hr/project/progress/).The LIFE SWiPE project(“Successful Wildlife Crime ProsecuVon

286、 in Europe“)provides an overall picture of wildlife crime at the European scale.It idenVfied the scale and commonality of problems arising along the enforcement chain,gaps in current pracVces,reasons for successfully invesVgated cases leading to prosecuVon,and common issues along the enforcement cha

287、in leading to failed prosecuVon.It profiled soluVons and best pracVce approaches from relevant countries,and provided naVonal and EU-level policy recommendaVons.There were pilot cases in several countries,with best pracVce examples regarding monitoring birds,demonstraVng sniffer dogs and training ex

288、isVng dog units to detect wildlife crime,using applicaVons for reporVng crimes,fostering beXer inter-agency cooperaVon,developing a criminalisVcs educaVon module,and establishing a wildlife crime hub (hXps:/stopwildlifecrime.eu/about-the-project/,hXps:/stopwildlifecrime.eu/news/).Cambodia Training o

289、n invesVgaVng poisoning has been done.There is collaboraVon between stakeholders to monitor poisoning cases.Ethiopia Many human-wildlife conflict workshops and meeVngs were held in different parts of the country for awareness-raising in communiVes.A Human-Wildlife Conflict Training Manual was produc

290、ed to be distributed around protected areas for training of the different segments of the community.India Compensation mechanisms were trialled in southern India.Italy Anti-poison dog units have been strengthened and currently 15 of these work across the country.In 2019 an internet portal on illegal

291、 animal poisoning was launched.(https:/avvelenamenti.izslt.it/)Malawi Roughly 200 rangers across the country have received training on Wildlife Poison Response.Malawi:To date,together we have trained roughly 200 rangers across the country.However,a lot of work is still needed-for example,there is ve

292、ry little capacity in country to determine poisons used at these sites which hampers prosecutions efforts.LWT has been working in communities to understand what poisons are commonly used around the house as these are most likely also used on wildlife.Mozambique Mitigation of human-wildlife conflict

293、is a significant focus in the Niassa Special Reserve,Gorongosa National Park,and at other sites.192 conservation and law enforcement staff have been trained in 5 of the largest protected areas to reduce the impact of poisoning between 2016-2023.Niger A large sensitization campaign was undertaken amo

294、ng a wide range of people(from authorities to local leaders,hunters and farmers)to explain the impact poison use could have on wildlife,livestock and people.The sensitization campaign was done through personal meetings,focus groups and interviews on local radios,which is the most used media channel

295、in the area.In total 2,444 people were directly involved and 394,444 were reached through all communication channels.The next steps should be to lobby for,and support,the implementation of the alternative methods following the protocols already developed under the project.Tanzania Recent arrests rel

296、ated to vulture poisoning and the collection of vulture parts demonstrates heightened awareness and concern regarding vulture conservation.Rapid response training related to poisoning has been provided to more than 300 rangers and other park officials,but limited road infrastructure and other resour

297、ces still limit the timeliness of responses.Rwanda Vulture surveys and monitoring revealed the status of vultures and the threats they face,leading to organized awareness campaigns to educate communiVes about the ecological importance of vultures.Saudi Arabia The size of protected areas with vulture

298、 populaVons was increased from 4.3%in 2016 to 16.8%of the country in 2023,and a large fine for killing an endangered species was introduced.UnintenVonal poisoning is not a major problem,however.Senegal There was awareness-raising through posters and hosVng radio broadcasts on the poisoning of wild a

299、nimals and vultures in the intervenVon areas of the SOS-VAUTOUR project.Zambia Staff have been trained in wildlife poisoning response over a period of 5 years,including an improved awareness of human-wildlife conflicts.Radio talks have also been done,as well as social media campaigns,as part of comm

300、unity engagement to improve the awareness of human-wildlife conflicts and associated impacts on vultures.31 7.2 Implementa9on of Objec9ve 2:Recognise and minimise mortality of vultures by non-steroidal an9-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)and occurrence and threat of toxic NSAIDs throughout the range cover

301、ed by the Vulture MsAP Objective 2 Result 2.1:Awareness raising and regulation of veterinary NSAID use at national levels is adequate and implements CMS Resolution 11.15 Action 2.1.1 All regions Situation analysis and publication of results regarding availability and use of NSAIDs in all Vulture MsA

302、P Range States(including analysis of national laboratory capacity to detect NSAIDs either in country or through external links).Action 2.1.2 All regions Prohibit or withdraw veterinary use of diclofenac,ketoprofen and aceclofenac for the treatment of livestock and substitute it with readily availabl

303、e safe alternatives,such as meloxicam in all Vulture MsAP Range States.Action 2.1.3 All regions Develop a formalised approval process before market authorisation is granted for all veterinary NSAIDs and seek to identify additional safe alternatives to NSAIDs toxic to vultures.Action 2.1.4 All region

304、s Establish government-backed alert system across the Vulture MsAP range to identify potentially dangerous veterinary drugs already in use,based on use levels from pharmacy surveys,cattle carcass analysis and drug safety testing results.Action 2.1.5 Europe,Central Asia,Middle East,South Asia Carry o

305、ut robust and mandatory safety testing on vultures and develop a formalised approval process before market authorisation is granted for veterinary NSAIDs.(Aim is to identify NSAIDs and other veterinary pharmaceuticals that are safe for vultures).Action 2.1.6 South Asia Assess consumer requirements a

306、nd improve availability of effective meloxicam formulations and other identified non-toxic drugs to facilitate stronger uptake by veterinary practitioners and livestock owners.Action 2.1.7 All regions Awareness-raising initiatives aimed at veterinarians and potential consumers across the Vulture MsA

307、P range.Result 2.2 Vulture populations are maintained and/or restored by establishment of Vulture Safe Zones(VSZs)Action 2.2.1 South Asia Maintain and review network of VSZs(with emphasis on NSAIDs issue)in India,Nepal,Pakistan and Bangladesh and develop VSZ criteria for application as an approach i

308、n addressing other critical threats in other regions.Action 2.2.2 South Asia Promote development and implementation of new VSZs through drafting and dissemination of guidelines for identification and selection.Action 2.2.3 South Asia Undertake capacity-building and local advocacy to promote VSZs.Act

309、ion 2.2.4 South Asia Monitor availability of NSAIDs for veterinary use in VSZs across South Asia and more widely.Result 2.3 Vulture Safe Zones are monitored Action 2.3.1 South Asia Monitor wild vulture populations and breeding success in VSZs.Note:The Essen.al Ac.ons are highlighted in red;bold wri.

310、ng indicates Ac.ons meant to have been completed by this review;the regions where the Ac.ons are relevant are also indicated.Unintenonal poisoning through the veterinary use of non-steroidal an-inflammatory drugs(NSAIDs)is a threat across the Vulture MsAP range,but a parcularly crical threat to vult

311、ures in South Asia.Well before the Vulture MsAP was adopted,diclofenac was the first NSAID shown to be toxic to scavenging birds and had already been banned for veterinary use across the main South Asian vulture Range States(Bangladesh,India,Nepal and Pakistan).However,compliance was not universal,h

312、uman diclofenac formulaons available in mul-dose vials were sll being used on livestock,while a range of other NSAIDs had become available,at least some of which were believed to be comparably toxic to vultures,while others had not been safety-tested.In regions other than South Asia,lijle progress h

313、ad been made;indeed,diclofenac had been licensed for veterinary use in two key European vulture Range States,Spain and Italy.The value of safety-tesng experiments had been shown when it was established that meloxicam(and,most recently,tolfenamic acid)are both safe alternaves to diclofenac.32 Box 2 p

314、rovides some examples of projects which fell under Objecve 2 during the Vulture MsAP,for countries which provided some descripon of their acvies.Figure 19 shows that,on average,none of the Acons for this Objecve are more than 50%complete,as the IS scores all fall below 2,with the excepon of Acon 2.3

315、.1,which scores just over 2.This includes Acons 2.1.2 and 2.1.3 which are Essenal acvies.However,these combined scores conceal great variaon in progress among Range States,with some having achieved some highly significant successes.Figure 19:Average Ac.on Priority Index(API)and Implementa.on Score(I

316、S)by Ac.on,for Objec.ve 2 Key:red=essen&al,orange=high,yellow=medium;hashed=should already have been completed Surveys and analysis of results regarding availability and use of NSAIDs in Vulture MsAP Range States(Acon 2.1.1)has taken place in several countries where NSAIDs are a potenal threat to vu

317、ltures but their prevalence in veterinary use was ohen uncertain,for example,Myanmar;however,no systemac review of naonal laboratory capacity to detect NSAIDs is known.Following earlier authorizaon of veterinary use of diclofenac in Spain,surveys in Spain(the only country where a specific monitoring

318、 programme is in place)have shown that this toxic NSAID is present in some carcasses of domescated animals available to foraging vultures,but has not caused any vulture mortality to date.The NSAID flunixin has also been found in some dead Griffon vultures with post-mortem signs of gout and kidney fa

319、ilure in Spain.Awareness-raising and regulaon of veterinary NSAID use(Acon 2.1.2)has improved very significantly in several of the Range States where this threat had been highest.By 2022,fully gazejed bans on the manufacture,sale and use of veterinary diclofenac had been added in Cambodia,Iran and O

320、man,and other countries were considering a similar ban.Scienfic evidence has proven that ketoprofen,nimesulide,aceclofenac,and probably flunixin are similarly toxic to vultures(other veterinary NSAIDs exist but are untested)but these NSAIDs had not been banned on a naonal scale,with two major excepo

321、ns:Bangladesh became the first country to ban ketoprofen for veterinary use naonwide in 2021 and some Indian states had prohibited government supply of selected toxic NSAIDs to their veterinary services.Then,in August 2023,a highly significant step was taken in India when both aceclofenac and ketopr

322、ofen were banned for veterinary use.These are vital decisions,directly boosng vulture conservaon efforts where implemented,but also sefng a precedent for other governments to follow.00.511.522.533.5400.511.522.533.542.1.1(n=51)2.1.2(n=52)2.1.3(n=53)2.1.4(n=56)2.1.5(n=36)2.1.6(n=17)2.1.7(n=56)2.2.1(n

323、=17)2.2.2(n=15)2.2.3(n=16)2.2.4(n=17)2.3.1(n=14)Average ISAverage APIActionAverage of APIAverage of IS 33 All countries lack mandatory safety-tesng of NSAIDs on vultures,a formalised approval process before market authorizaon,or alert system across the Vulture MsAP range to idenfy potenally dangerou

324、s veterinary drugs already in use(Acons 2.1.3 and 2.1.4).However,progress has included a government-sponsored safety-tesng programme parally underway in India,with complementary work in South Africa(Acon 2.1.5).Most recently,tolfenamic acid has been shown to be safe to Gyps vultures at concentraons

325、likely to be encountered in cajle carcasses(Chandramohan et al.,2022),so two vulture-safe NSAIDs are now known.Tesng of nimesulide in South Africa and most recently in India has demonstrated the toxicity of this drug to vultures(Galligan et al.,2022,Nambirajan et al.,2021).Paracetamol tesng is also

326、underway,and nearing compleon.However,further NSAID safety-tesng on raptors is required as only the NSAIDs menoned above have been tested so far.As part of a webpage and factsheet on NSAIDs and the threat they pose to vultures,the Raptors MOU has proposed a simple decision-making process in the form

327、 of a flow-chart(Figure 20)(Raptors MOU,2023).Figure 20:Suggested approval process before market authoriza.on is granted for veterinary NSAIDs.Source:Raptors MOU(2023)Promoon of the uptake of meloxicam(Acon 2.1.6)has largely taken place in Range States that have already banned one or more other vete

328、rinary NSAIDs;following safety-tesng(Acon 2.1.5),this Acon could presumably be amended to include promoon of tolfenamic acid as an addional vulture-safe NSAID,along with any other drugs that might in future be found to be safe for vultures(if cost-effecve as veterinary medicines).The CMS Raptors MOU

329、 web-page and factsheet on NSAIDs and vultures(see also Acon 2.1.5)combines informaon sources up to mid-2022 and is an important awareness-raising iniave aimed at government and other veterinarians and potenal consumers across the Vulture MsAP range(Acon 2.1.7)(Raptors MOU,2023).Individual Range Sta

330、tes have also included such acons in their naonal programmes,as shown by the implementaon score(among the higher scores for Acons under this Objecve).Result 2.2,with 4 Acons forming a set concerning establishment of Vulture Safe Zones(VSZs),was confined to South Asia as a priority in the Vulture MsA

331、P,with a primary focus on reducon of the 34 NSAIDs threat;implementaon scores are close to 50%for all Acons,reflected in strong and exemplary progress in the South Asian Range States.A parcularly significant milestone was reached in Nepal where,for the first me,a Vulture Safe Zone was declared(based

332、 on scienfic evidence)to be fully safe for vultures;monitoring(Result 2.3 with single Acon 2.3.1,also part of the overall protocol for VSZ management)showed that the vulture populaon at the site had stopped declining and began to increase over several successive recent years.An important elaboraon o

333、f Acon 2.2.1 has been the development of VSZ criteria for applicaon as an approach in addressing crical threats in other regions.Adequate area-based approaches at scale,without the need for a VSZ approach,were considered to be available in Europe,but in Africa,where even the largest Protected Areas are too small to encompass the whole home ranges of vultures,criteria for applicaon of the VSZ appro