Vultures are the most threatened group of birds in the world and they need our help! The Hawk Conservancy Trust carries out amazing conservation and research projects that aim to save these ecologically vital birds from extinction.

Vultures are often overlooked and perceived as lowly scavengers, but they play a crucial role in the environments in which they live. Their scavenging lifestyle that gives them a bad reputation is, in fact, what makes them so important for the environment, nature and society.

As a result of persecution, poisoning, electrocution, collision, habitat loss and changes in farming practices, today, 16 of the 23 species of vulture species are considered vulnerable, threatened, or endangered with the population of several species declining by 90% in some areas of the world. The good news is that vulture conservation does work, and in Europe, most of the vulture populations are increasing.

Asia was the continent of vultures 40 years ago, but the use of Diclofenac, a painkiller drug given to moribund cattle, wiped out over 99% of vultures in South-east Asia. South-east Asia, in just about two decades. Then, 20 years ago, Africa was considered the continent of vultures, but due to the widespread use of wildlife poisoning, seven out of the eleven vultures species on the continent are now on the brink of extinction.

Vultures, also known as nature’s cleanup crew, do the dirty work of cleaning up after death, helping to keep ecosystems healthy as they act as natural carcass recyclers. They provide critically important ecosystem services and socioeconomic benefits. When livestock keepers realize the usefulness of vultures, they can have a win-win relationship. As vultures not only clean up the land, but they also eliminate the need for the treatment and incineration of thousands of tons of animal remains every year. This free cleaning service saves millions of euros in waste management and avoids the potential emission of hundreds of thousands of tons of CO2 per year, benefiting our environment and society as a whole.

Vultures also provide cultural and spiritual services dating back thousands of years, as well as recreational services in the form of ecotourism, particularly for bird-watchers and photographers. For example, it has been estimated that the potential value of viewing Griffon Vultures at a nature reserve in Israel was more than US$1 million and that 85% of the visitors went to the park specifically to view vultures.

Furthermore, conserving vultures means aiding other wildlife. For example, conservation efforts to protect the Bearded Vulture do not only help this species but broader conservation and rewilding goals. As an umbrella species, by safeguarding the mountain habitat for the Bearded Vulture, other mountain wildlife benefits too, such as golden eagles and ibex. Further to this, as scavengers, they do not kill livestock or game species, and thus, there is not much human-wildlife conflict. So, it is possible to collaborate with multiple stakeholders such as livestock breeders and hunters to tackle threats they face, such as poisoning, which poses a severe threat to nature, wildlife and public health.

It is now widely acknowledged that promoting the scavenging services provided by vultures would restore an important ecological function for the mutual benefit of vultures, the wider environment and ultimately provide socioeconomic and well-being benefits to people.