GEDAi and Vultures!

Dr A. Santangeli from the GEDA comments on a new study about the consequences of the decline of vultures in India and its cost in terms of human lifes and monetary damages. Here   

Bernard Castelein/NPL/Minden Pictures

"To calculate monetary damages, the team relied on previous research that calculated the economic value of what Indian society is willing to spend to save one life at roughly $665,000 a person. That put the total economic damages from the loss of vulture populations at $69.4 billion a year from 2000 to 2005.

The numbers themselves aren’t surprising, says Andrea Santangeli, a conservation scientist at the Institute for Mediterranean Studies who wasn’t involved with the research. He and others have sounded the alarm on biodiversity loss for decades. But the new, dramatic stats could help convince lawmakers to act, he says. “If you give them flashy figures, it’s probably easier to push forward policy and conservation measures." by Vivian La (Science News 15/07/2024)

 

GEDAi at the European Congress of Conservation Biology!

The GEDAi partcipated to the European Congress of Conservation Biology in Bologna (Italy). Dr. Santangeli presented the first results of the SURVIVALIST project. 

SURVIVALIST is a EU-funded proyect that aims is to identify hot-spot of mortality of scavenger birds, through the analysis of capture-track-recapture data collected by several research groups throughout Europe.

GEDAi at the European Vulture Conference 2023!

Dr. A. Santangeli presents his first results on the age-dependent survival probabilities of vulture in Europe and Middle East at the European Vulture Conference 2023 in Caceres, Spain. 

New Publication on avian scavangers and anthropized landscapes!

Gangoso, L., Cortés-Avizanda, A., et al. 2021. Avian scavengers living in anthropized landscapes have shorter telomeres and higher levels of glucocorticoid hormones. Science of the Total Environment.146920, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.scitotenv.2021.146920  

Abstract:  Habitat anthropization is a powerful stressor affecting the health and fitness of organisms, ultimately impacting their population dynamics. In vertebrates, stressful living conditions are usually associated with elevated glucocorticoids-based responses (GCs) as well as shorter telomeres, which are in turn associated with decreased overall body condition fitness and life expectancy. However, our understanding of how habitat anthropization per se and population processes synergistically, or independently, may affect GCs and telomere dynamics in natural populations is still very limited. 

Here, we assessed the physiological footprint of habitat anthropization and conspecific density in 65 GPS-tagged Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) from two populations of the Iberian Peninsula. We examined how extrinsic (human footprint values and conspecifics density within individual activity areas) and intrinsic (sex and home range size) factors determine GCs deposited in feathers (CORT_f) and telomere length as proxies of overall individual condition and quality. We found strong differences in both physiological markers between populations, with higher CORT_f levels and shorter telomeres in vultures living in the northern, more anthropized area. We also found sex-specific patterns of CORT_f, with females having higher levels than males. In both sexes, telomere length decreased as the density of conspecifics increased. Previous studies in these populations have shown lower survival rates in individuals who exploit more anthropized areas, and here we show a potential physiological causal link. We highlight the existence of complex effects of chronic stress associated both with living in anthropized environments and with population-related processes likely associated to the spatial distribution of resources.

New Publication on Lapped-faced vulture !

Santangeli A., Pakanen, V-M, Bridgeford, P., Boorman, M., Kolberg, H., and Sanz-Aguilar, A. 2020. The relative contribution of camera trap technology and citizen science for estimating survival of an endangered African vulture. Biological Conservation, vol, 246 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2020.108593

Photo:wikipedia.org

Abstract: Technological advances such as camera traps, and citizen science, coupled with advanced quantitative approaches, can help fill existing knowledge gaps and aid effective conservation. We combine citizen and camera trap observations to estimate survival of the Endangered lappet-faced vulture, assess the relative contribution of data from camera traps and citizens, as well as impact of loss of individual marks (wing tags), on survival estimates.  We used data from 762 lappet-faced vultures wing tagged as nestlings during 2006-2017 in western Namibia. Observations of wing tagged individuals were provided by citizens or via camera traps.
We formulated a multievent capture-mark-recapture model to estimate survival while accounting for probabilities of resighting by citizens and/or camera traps, recovery of dead individuals, and loss of the wing tag.  Survival was relatively high for juveniles (0.79), and increased with age to 0.95. Citizen observations of live and dead birds were low in number. However, when combined with camera trap resightings of live individuals, citizen observations increased the precision of survival estimates of birds older than one year compared to using data from either sources separately. Wing tag loss was high after 5–6 years of tag age. If neglected, tag loss can result in severe underestimation of survival of the older age classes. Overall, we show that filling ecological knowledge gaps is possible through the efficient use of data provided by different sources, and by applying state-of the art approaches that minimise potential biases, such as those due to tag loss.

Press Release!

A new press release in the national newspaper "EL PAIS" about the work by A. Sanz-Aguilar y E. Arrondo here

New publication on scavangers and epizootic regulations!

Donázar, J.A., Cortés-Avizanda, A., Ceballos, O., Arrondo, E., Grande, J.M., Serrano, D. 2020. Epizootics and sanitary regulations drive long-term changes in fledgling body condition of a threatened vulture. Ecological Indicators, vol. 113. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ecolind.2020.106188

Abstract:  Epizootics and deliberate changes in policies affecting the environment may affect large groups of species and the functioning of entire ecosystems. Although these effects often overlap in time, their simultaneous effect is rarely examined despite their importance as causes of current biodiversity loss. Here, based on the monitoring of an Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) population over thirty-three years (1986–2018), we increase our knowledge about the effects of anthropogenic-induced changes in food availability, both direct (sanitary policies limiting livestock carcass disposal) and indirect (a wild rabbit epizootic), on brood size and body condition of fledglings at nests. We compared the body mass of fledglings of broods with one chick (Single) and two chicks (within which we distinguished First and Second-hatched). The mass of Second-hatched chicks decreased after the plummet in rabbit populations (in the year 1990) and the regulations limiting carcass disposal (2005), reaching minimum values during the period with lowest food availability (i.e. 2005–2013). Recent sanitary legislation allowing carcass disposal by farmers coincides with a slight recovery in the observed body masses. Overall, this study shows that environmental changes of disparate origin can have synergistic effects on individual condition. Conservation of endangered vultures will require multi-targeted conservation plans aimed at ensuring nutritional requirements, in addition to detailed long-term monitoring, in order to detect obscure/masked drivers that affect body condition of fledglings.

GEDA and Vulture Conservation Foundation !

The novel project by A. Cortés-Avizanda was promoted by the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF). The VCF furnished the GPS/GSM devices that now are providing important data on vulture movements in Mallorca. Ainara's work has been supported by a "Vicenç Mut" fellowship granted by the Government of the Balearic Islands. A new press release on the local newspaper (in Spanish) here

New Publication on vultures and human activities!

Arrondo, E, Sanz-Aguilar, A., Pérez-Garcia, J., Cortés-Avizanda, A., Sánchez-Zapata, J.A., Donazár, J.A. 2020 Landscape anthropization shapes the survival of a top avian scavenger Biodiversity and Conservation.pp 1–15  https://doi.org/10.1007/s10531-020-01942-6)

Photo: M. Gomila

Abstract. Events of non-natural mortality in human-dominated landscapes are especially challenging for populations of large vertebrates with K strategies. Among birds, vultures are one of the most threatened groups experiencing sharp population declines due to non-natural mortality. Factors causing non-natural mortality are usually studied separately. However, the potential use of an integrated index able to predict large-scale mortality risks of avian scavengers could be especially useful for planning conservation strategies.
Here, we used the Human Footprint index to examine the impact of landscape anthropization on the survival rates of 66 GPS-tagged adult Eurasian griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) in two Spanish regions. Foraging in more anthropized areas resulted in a significantly higher individual mortality risk mainly due to collisions with vehicles, poisonings, electrocutions and fatalities with wind turbines. Mean yearly survival rates were estimated at 0.817 ± 0.043 SE and 0.968 ± 0.018 SE for individuals from the more and less anthropized regions, respectively. Additional research should investigate whether some vulture populations could be acting as sinks unnoticed due to metapopulation dynamics. From a broader point of view, our study shows that a straightforward Human Footprint was a useful index to predict the survival of top scavengers and can be highly applicable to planning large-scale conservation measures.
A recent press release (in Spanish) here

New press release on Griffon vulture arrival!

The project by A. Cortés-Avizanda was on the news today. An article by E. Soto (here) describes Ainara's research into the possible changes that the arrival of the Griffon vulture in Mallorca can generate. In 2008, pushed by an unusual storm, a group of Griffon vultures arrived in Mallorca and established a new colony.

Natural colonizations of islands are rare and offer an important opportunity to gain information on dispersal, settlement and competition among species.  

Will it compete with the Black vulture ?  

Will framers change their perception on scavangers ?   

Will this natural arrival create a new wildlife-human conflict? 

Stay in touch for the answers.

GEDA at the European Vulture Conference !

A. Cortes-Avizanda, from the GEDA, participated at the European Vulture Conference this week with a talk on intregating ecology, conservation biology and social perception.

Wind Power and Biodiversity

A. Sanz-Aguilar has collaborated on the video "Wind Power and Biodiversity" (in Spanish) where vultures are sentinels of Wind Power mortality.

New Publication on rewilding !

Perino, A., Pereira, H.M., [..], Cortés-Avizanda,A.,[...] and Wheeler, H.C., 2019. Rewilding complex ecosystems. Science 364, DOI: 10.1126/science.aav5570 

Abstract: The practice of rewilding has been both promoted and criticized in recent years. Benefits include flexibility to react to environmental change and the promotion of opportunities for society to reconnect with nature. Criticisms include the lack of a clear conceptualization of rewilding, insufficient knowledge about possible outcomes, and the perception that rewilding excludes people from landscapes. Here, we present a framework for rewilding that addresses these concerns. We suggest that rewilding efforts should target trophic complexity, natural disturbances, and dispersal as interacting processes that can improve ecosystem resilience and maintain biodiversity. We propose a structured approach to rewilding projects that includes assessment of the contributions of nature to people and the social-ecological constraints on restoration. 

New Publication on Vulture, farming practices and diseases !

Blanco, G., Cortés-Avizanda, A., Frias, Ó., Arrondo, E., Donázar, J.A. 2019 Livestock farming practices modulate vulture diet-disease interactions Global Ecology and Conservation. doi: 10.1016/j.gecco.2018.e00518

Photo. A.Cortes-Avizanda,M. de la Riva, R. Sanchez-Carrion

Abstract: Low- and high-intensity farming exert different direct and indirect effects on vulture populations by driving the availability, exploitation and characteristics of carrion. This is especially true for the levels of pharmaceuticals in wild and domestic animal carcasses. However, the impact of farming systems on the diet-related health of avian scavengers remains unclear. Here, we evaluate diet and disease signs in nestlings of three European species of vultures (Cinereous, Aegypius monachus, Griffon, Gyps fulvus, and Egyptian, Neophron percnopterus), living in different regions of Spain under contrasting farming schemes.
We test the hypothesis that disease (oral mucosal lesions caused by mixed fungal and bacterial infections) in vultures is influenced by features of food and foraging conditions derived from farming systems, especially due to the expected chronic and irregular ingestion of pharmaceuticals under intensive (factory farms) compared to extensive systems. A large proportion of nestlings of the three vulture species in central Spain (high-intensity farming area) continue to be affected by oral lesions (cinereous: 75%, n = 16; griffon: 61%, n = 28; Egyptian: 46%, n = 13). The same type of lesions, at a much lower frequency, was found in nestling of the three vulture species in each of the selected areas corresponding to low-intensity farming areas in southern and northern Spain (Cinereous: 39%, n = 13; Griffon: 7%, n = 14; Egyptian: 6%, n = 17). As predicted, a positive relationship was found between the proportion of nestlings with lesions and the frequency of intensive livestock from factory farms (swine and poultry) in the diet. The intensive medication in factory farms deserves further research to assess its implications in vulture diet-disease interactions at large geographical scales. Assessing the presence of oral lesions as an indicator of physiological alterations is encouraged along with pharmacovigilance in surveillance programs aimed at evaluating the direct and indirect effects of livestock farming practices on vulture health. Given the increasing exploitation of domestic instead of wild animals by vultures, the growth in high-intensity farming and the medication practices in free-ranging and semi-extensive farming systems, this assessment would help to characterize the risks associated with different farming operations for wildlife. This evaluation is crucial to avoid exacerbating the detrimental consequences of supplementary feeding programs contrary to their primary aim of the conservation of endangered species.

Most cited paper in Ardeola !

Photo: M Gomila

The work by A. Cortés-Avizanda of the GEDA on the ecological role of raptors published in Ardeola in 2016 (here) was the most cited period in the last 3-year period. 
Congrats Ainara (& Co.)!

New Publication on Vulture Ecology: movements and sanitary regulations !

Arrondo, E., Moleón, M., Cortés-Avizanda, A., Jiménez, J., Beja, P., Sánchez-Zapata, J.A, Donázar, J.A. 2018. Invisible barriers: Differential sanitary regulations constrain vulture movements across country borders. Biological Conservation, 219: 46-52. doi.org/10.1016/j.biocon.2017.12.039

Abstract: Political boundaries may represent ecological barriers due to differences in wildlife management policies. In the European Union, it might be expected that these differences should be highly diluted, because all countries have to comply with common directives issued by the European Commission. However, the subsidiarity principle may lead to the uneven uptake of European Union regulations, which can impact on biodiversity conservation due to unequal legislation in neighboring countries, particularly in the case of highly mobile organisms.

Photo: M. Gomila (@miknuk)

Here we address this issue, by analyzing how EU regulations issued in response to the Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) crisis differentially affected vulture conservation in Portugal and Spain. Gyps fulvus) and 11 cinereous vultures (Aegypius monachus) from Spain, we found that the Spanish-Portuguese border acts as a quasi-impermeable barrier. In fact, there was an abrupt decline in the number of vulture locations across the Spanish-Portuguese border, with modelling showing that this was unlikely to be related to differences in land cover or topography. Instead, the pattern found was likely due to differences in trophic resource availability, namely carcasses from extensive livestock husbandry, resulting from the differential application of European sanitary legislation regarding the mandatory removal of dead livestock from the field. Overall, our results should be seen as a warning signal to policy makers and conservation managers, highlighting the need for a stronger integration of sanitary and environmental policies at the European level.