Middle East

Galala Raptor Count © Stoyan Nikolov
Galala Raptor Count © Stoyan Nikolov

Monitoring Egyptian Vulture Migration at the Galala Observatory

During the migratory seasons (every spring and autumn), over 1.5 million birds migrate over the Galala Mountains, which extend along the Gulf of Suez, from Ain Sukhna to Zaafarana in Egypt. Given that Egyptian Vultures as well as other vultures and raptors can be easily spotted at this bottleneck area of bird migration, Nature Conservation Egypt (NCE) has recently established the Galala Observatory at the site. A permanent monitoring station founded under the Egyptian Vulture New LIFE project, the Observatory is hoped to become a hotspot for the monitoring of raptors and other migratory species, the study of other migratory species, and attract birdwatching tourism in Egypt.
Apr 28, 2022Read more
IKB Road map event - Dead Sea

Towards a Road Map to Tackle Illegal Killing of Birds in the Middle East

The Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) is supporting range states in the Arabian Peninsula, Iraq, and the Islamic Republic of Iran in the development of an action plan to address the illegal killing, hunting, trapping, and trade of wild birds (IKB), which is considered the greatest direct threat to migratory birds in the Middle East.
Mar 30, 2022Read more

Granting a Safe Passage for Migratory Birds in Lebanon

After more than four decades of illegal killing of migratory birds in Lebanon, an effective enforcement scheme is safeguarding numerous globally-protected species at two key sites along their migration. Lebanon lies on the west side of the African Eurasian Flyway (Red Sea – Rift Valley Flyway) which is considered one of the most important flyways in the world for bird migration. As a signatory to the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU), Lebanon has a shared responsibility towards protecting migratory birds during their spring and autumn migration.
May 26, 2021Read more

Media Advisory - World Migratory Bird Day 2020

On Saturday, 9 May 2020, people around the world will celebrate World Migratory Bird Day – a global campaign dedicated to raising awareness of migratory birds and the need for international cooperation to conserve them. This year’s theme “Birds Connect Our World” highlights the importance of conserving and restoring the ecological connectivity and integrity of ecosystems that support the natural cycles that are essential for the survival and well-being of migratory birds.
Apr 30, 2020Read more

Urgent Actions to Strengthen the Balkan Population of the Egyptian Vulture and Secure Its Flyway

This project is one of the most ambitious conservation ventures in the history of vulture conservation. It aims to reinforce the easternmost population of the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) in Europe by delivering urgent conservation measures towards eliminating major known threats in the breeding grounds and along the flyway. It is a logical follow up to the completed project The Return of the Neophron. However, the current project has set the scene for the new even more challenging conservation endeavour: the attempt to reverse the negative trend and achieve sustainable population growth on the Balkans.
 
To save an endangered species, the Egyptian Vulture, institutions and organisations from 14 countries spanning the Balkans, Middle East and Africa have joined forces proving that political borders do not exist in these efforts. All of them have united under the project "Urgent Actions to Strengthen the Balkan Population of the Egyptian Vulture and Secure Its Flyway” (LIFE16 NAT/BG/000874), abbreviated to Egyptian Vulture - New LIFE Project, launched in July 2017 with financial support from the EU's LIFE Programme Union and the co-financing AG Leventis Foundation, Green Fund and the MAVA Foundation.
 
The strategy of the project builds on two main components:
  1. Achieving steady increase of the population in the breeding ground on the Balkans
  2. Enhancing the context for conservation along the flyway and in the wintering grounds by minimising loss of mature birds
Project ID
LIFE16 NAT/BG/000874
Implementing Agency

Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB)

Collaborating agencies

CMS Raptors MOU, Hellenic Ornithological Society/Birdlife Greece (HOS), WWF Greece, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds / BirdLife UK (RSPB), Doga Dernegi/BirdLife Turkey (DD), BirdLife Middle East, BirdLife Africa, A.P. Leventis Ornithological and Research Institute (APLORI), Green Balkans

Activity start date
Activity end date
Target region
Target country
Instrument
Taxonomic group
CMS Appendix
Appendix I
Executive summary

To save an endangered species, the Egyptian Vulture, institutions and organisations from 14 countries spanning the Balkans, Middle East and Africa have joined forces proving that political borders do not exist in these efforts. All of them have united under the project "Urgent Actions to Strengthen the Balkan Population of the Egyptian Vulture and Secure Its Flyway” (LIFE16 NAT/BG/000874), abbreviated to Egyptian Vulture - New LIFE Project, launched in July 2017 with financial support from the EU's LIFE Programme Union and the co-financing AG Leventis Foundation, Green Fund and the MAVA Foundation.

The strategy of the project builds on two main components:

  1. Achieving steady increase of the population in the breeding ground on the Balkans
  2. Enhancing the context for conservation along the flyway and in the wintering grounds by minimising loss of mature birds
Conservation
The Balkan component of the project involves creating vulture safe zones (free of poison and providing sufficient and safe food) and developing the capacity and infrastructure to deploy restocking programme, needed to make the shift from the currently dwindling to a vital population. Prior to and in parallel with the restocking programme development the project will actively lobby with national institutions to ensure the necessary of the regulations and work with local authorities of rural settlements to encourage the establishment of controlled carcass dumps. Deliberate poising is still an issue for all Balkan countries, hence the aim to replicate the successful Greek experience in networking among institutions, groups of stakeholders, individuals affected towards creating a Balkan anti-poison network; to eliminate accidental poisoning the project will lobby to discourage use of hazardous agriculture chemicals (reduce agriculture subsidies to violators) and veterinary drugs (ban diclofenac use and encourage use of alternatives).
 
The Fly-way component of the project will tackle the urgent activities postulated in the International Action Plan. Unfortunately large parts of the Middle East (Lebanon, Syria, and Iran) and African (Chad, Ethiopia, Nigeria and Niger) range countries are war conflict theatre. The project strategy is therefore to secure transfer of experience and build capacity in the safest possible territories – Ethiopia, Chad, Nigeria and Niger, and work with the most stable possible local players (governmental or non-governmental).
 
The main goals involve:
  • Reduction of loss of individuals due to electrocution at the main roosting sites in Ethiopia;
  • Piloting actions to eliminate use of strychnine or other poisons affecting birds to control rabies at key congregation sites in Ethiopia and Chad;
  • Develop local capacity to combat use of birds in traditional 'religious' ceremonies (Nigeria); and
  • Enhancing local capacity to combat illegal killing of birds (Middle East)
 
The large scale tailored awareness raising and information campaign built into the project will comprise several distinctive clusters specifically designed to meet the expectation needs of key target stakeholders and audiences identified on the basis of stakeholder assessment, marketing study to position the project communication and information strategy.
 
The possible clusters include:
  • Capacity building for local institutions through seminars involving practical field work;
  • Communicate the main threats for the vulture based on country specific messages targeted at the particular local audiences generating the threat (poisoning, shooting, belief-based use, etc.)
  • International campaign to promote the Egyptian vulture to through serial happenings at major airports along the flyway comprising painting of murals and eye-to-eye talking to people at the airports (could be combined with fundraising, petition signing, etc.)
  • Training for local communities to ensure uptake of the vulture safe techniques and practices (change of veterinary drugs, use of strychnine or agriculture chemicals alternatives, strengthen law enforcement, veterinary proposed). 
Objective
The project objectives are in line with the aims of most recent strategic document outlining the conservation tactic to save the species: the Flyway Action Plan for the Conservation of the Balkan and Central Asian Populations of the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus (EVFAP), as an integrated key component of the Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP). Hence, the specific objectives set are to three overarching goals:
 
  1. Reduce adult mortality through
    - Minimizing loss of adults due to deliberate or accidental poisoning and electrocution and collisions with energy infrastructures in the breeding grounds;
    - Eliminating safe food availability as a limiting factor in the breeding grounds;
    - Mitigating threats – reducing losses due to poisoning, direct persecution, electrocution at bottleneck and congregation sites along the flyway;
  2. Reinforce the breeding population on the Balkans by deploying a targeted pilot restocking programme to boost population recovery
  3. Increase awareness of and support for Egyptian vulture conservation through relevant stakeholders engagement
Status
Ongoing
Currency
Final financial report
Off
Final technical report
Off
Small Grants Programme (SGP)
Off
Files

Images

Poisoning Electrocution Habitat loss and degradation Energy production and mining
Other Documents
Plans
Neophron percnopterus
Publications
Activity
Description

Adult mortality reduction

Output

The first overarching goal dealing with adult mortality reduction involves a suite of actions that could be summarized as follows:
- Investigate the impact of agriculture chemicals and Identify as poisoning agents and evaluate the use of veterinary drugs to inform response strategy;
- Lobbying to secure appropriate changes of legislation regarding the use of dangerous pesticides and vet medicine products;
- Develop local action plans against wildlife poisoning;
- Test of alternative methods to reduce human-wildlife conflict that trigger Egyptian vulture persecution;
- Establish a pan-Balkan network of stakeholders against wildlife poisoning;
- Evaluate the magnitude of damages to Egyptian vulture due to poisoning, electrocution and illegal killing along the flyway;
- Establish controlled local carcass dumps to support non-territorial birds at key sites;
- Test alternatives to use of strychnine or other poisons to control rabies at key congregation sites in the wintering grounds in Africa;
- Reduce loss of individuals due to power generation and power supply (wind turbine collision and electrocution) along the flyway;
- Develop local capacity to combat illegal killing and trafficking of birds along the flyway.

Description

Recovery of the Egyptian Vulture Balkan breeding population

Output

The second major goal shall establish the basis for the recovery of the Balkan breeding population, through tailored restocking strategy. It will be deployed through the following key actions:
- Establish Balkan Egyptian vulture captive breeding pool to reinforce the breeding population in Bulgaria and Greece;
- Develop and pilot a restocking strategy for the Balkans

Description

Increase awareness of and support for Egyptian Vulture conservation

Output

The third suite of actions are intended to increase awareness of and support for Egyptian vulture conservation through relevant stakeholders’ engagement. They will be informed by an ethnographic study and guided by a communication strategy and public awareness campaigns. The knowledge and attitudes of key stakeholders in representative areas to Egyptian vultures will be initially registered and carefully monitored. Two major international campaigns are planned:
- A Mile for the Egyptian vulture: campaign to communicate main threats to the species to local
communities and general public in key countries along the flyway; and
- Fly with the Vulture: campaign to engage with prospective supporters.

Description

Communication

Output

Additional communication effort will be invested to:
- Develop community understanding and involvement by creating local caretaker groups;
- Ensure effective national and international media coverage of the project;
- Networking and cooperation with experts along the flyway to disseminate the conservation needs of the species;
- Traditional communication tools will be engaged, including interactive website, attractive (to local tastes) information boards and specific communication printed materials.

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CMS Office - Abu Dhabi: A Decade of Achievements

Over the past decade, Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) on behalf of the Government of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), has hosted the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Office – Abu Dhabi, enabling the Office to undertake a wide range of carefully targeted conservation activities in support of Dugongs, birds of prey and other migratory species.
Jan 01, 2020Read more

CMS Office - Abu Dhabi : How it all began

On 12 October 2009, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi (EAD) signed a partnership agreement establishing CMS Office – Abu Dhabi, a regional hub of the Secretariat of the Convention, dedicated to the conservation of Dugongs, migratory birds of prey and other migratory species. With this, CMS Office – Abu Dhabi became CMS’s sole office operating outside the Convention’s headquarters in Bonn, Germany, and it was fully hosted by a CMS Member State.
Dec 28, 2019Read more

2018/015: New Signatory to the CMS Raptors MOU

The Secretariat of the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) in its capacity as Depositary of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migrator

Dec 19, 2018Read more
Photo courtesy of Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), Jordan.
Photo courtesy of Royal Society for the Conservation of Nature (RSCN), Jordan.

CMS Raptors MOU Welcomes Jordan as 60th Signatory State

Jordan has today signed the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU), at a national raptor conservation and hunting event held in its capital city Amman, Jordan.
Dec 03, 2018Read more

First Arabian Peninsula Waterbird Monitoring Strategy Planned at Workshop in UAE

International experts met in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, to develop a strategy for the Arabian Peninsula to monitor the region’s waterbirds and their threatened wetland habitats. The regional strategy aims to build capacity to monitor coastal waterbirds and important wetland sites in all countries of the Arabian Peninsula.
Sep 07, 2018Read more