Updating the International Species Action Plan for the Bearded Vulture Gypaetus Barbatus

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Coordinated Efforts for International Species Recovery EuroSAP Updating the International Species Action Plan for the Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus

Implementation review

Project partners for the Bearded Vulture Species Action Plan

Report commissioned by: The European Commission Directorate General for the Environment Compiled by David Izquierdo ([email protected]) & Alex Llopis [email protected] Professional review: José Tavares [email protected] Vulture Conservation Foundation, VCF

Vulture Conservation Foundation Wuhrstrasse 12. CH-8003 Zurich, Switzerland

Tel. +90 532 461 3463 | http://www.4vultures.org/

Date of adoption: April 2017 Recommended citation: Izquierdo, D. & Llopis A., (2017) Updating the International Species Action Plan for the Bearded Vulture Gypaetus barbatus: Implementation review. Report of Actions A3 under the framework of Project LIFE EuroSAP (LIFE14 PRE UK 002). (unpublished report).

Contributors

Table 1: Questionnaire respondents

Country Name and surname Organization Richard Zink International Bearded Vulture Monitoring Austria Hans Frey Vulture Conservation Foundation Marie Heuret Conservatoire d'espaces naturels de Haute-Savoie France Néouze Raphaël L.P.O. Grands Causses Jean-François Seguin Parc naturel régional de Corse Greece Stavros Xirouchakis Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete Italy Enrico Bassi Stelvio National Park Spain Rubén Moreno-Opo Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment of Spain Switzerland Daniel Hegglin Stiftung Pro Bartgeier (Foundation For Bearded Vultures)

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Background The first Bearded Vulture Action Plan was published by the Ornis Committee in 1999 (Heredia & Heredia, 1999) and consequently validated by the Bern Convention. Although it was advised to be revised every two years, this Action Plan wasn’t reviewed for over a decade. In 2010 BirdLife International was commissioned to prepare the review of the implementation of the action plan, which was then published in 2011 (see Barov & Derhé, 2011). In 2015, a new implementation review was requested to the Vulture Conservation Foundation (henceforth VCF) as a preliminary stage in preparation for the upcoming Bearded vulture EuroSAP (to be published in 2017). The action plan is intended for implementation in all European countries where the species occurs, with a special focus on those with an extant breeding population in Europe. Therefore, its main scope covers Austria, France, Greece, Italy, Spain, and Switzerland but also contains information for Andorra, Turkey, Germany and Morocco. This implementation review focuses on the results of the last 5 years of conservation actions and monitoring of the Bearded vulture populations within the species’ breeding range. No status information was provided by Spain for 2011’s implementation review, but it was included in this one. The species was up-listed from LC (Least Concern) to NT (Near Threatened) in the IUCN Red List in 2015 considering the current trend worldwide. Overall, it is estimated that the global population has declined by 25-29% over three generations (BirdLife International, 2016).

General overview

The implementation of the action plan has improved since 2010’s review, from an overall IS of 2.6 in 2010 to 2.9 in 2015. As in 2010, no specific actions have taken place in Turkey, so this country has not been included in this implementation review. Of the 7 EU countries where the species occurs, France and Spain are the countries where more specific actions for the protection and conservation of the species have taken place (National Implementation Score, NIS, of 3.4 and 3.1 respectively). Crete, in Greece, is the country with the lowest score (NIS=2.3) which is nevertheless still relatively adequate in terms of conservation. Due to the significant lack of information missing from several of the countries of the region, this review cannot cover the entire continental European meta-population. Instead, it can better be used as an indicative of the work done for the species within the European Union.

Figure 1 Average implementation score (IS) and Action Priority Index (API) for each Action listed in the Bearded Vulture species action plan. Colours represent Priority Score

Objective(s)

1) In the short term, to maintain and enhance the existing Bearded Vulture populations in Europe, especially the remaining island populations (Corsica and Crete).

2) In the long term, to encourage the recolonisation of the former range, establishing a European meta-population, and reestablish the historical gene flow between North Africa and Asia through the autochthonous and reintroduced European Bearded Vulture populations.

Evaluation Although some of the natural populations in Western Europe are increasing, particularly the Pyrenean populations in Spain and France, the general trend in Europe is considered as stable. However, the key last remaining European island populations (Crete and Corsica) are declining or in risk of doing so, and specific actions are necessary to ensure their survival (short term objective). In other countries where the species breeds there is a significant lack of information, but most indications suggest that those populations are probably declining. To the best of our knowledge, no natural recolonization of former distribution range has taken place thus far. However, in Western Europe the artificial recolonization (reintroduction projects) of certain areas is taking place with success and the first movement of birds between European populations has recently been registered (Raphaël Néouze, LPO – Grands Causses, pers. comm.).

Conservation and Legal Status Despite the relatively positive trend in Western Europe, Bearded vulture populations in other regions of its distribution range have suffered a dramatic decline, notably in the southern Africa populations (Kruger et al., 2014) and in Nepal (Acharya et al., 2010). Even in some parts of Europe the species is still declining – in Corsica the species decreased from ten territories in 2006 to five in 2014, and from eight laying pairs in 2000 to two in 2015 (Parc Naturel Régional de Corse data) with extremely low breeding success, whereas in Morocco only three pairs seem to survive in the highest reaches of the Atlas (VCF data). For all these reasons, the species was uplisted from Least Concern to Near Threatened in the 2014 update of the global IUCN Red List.

The species is listed as Vulnerable (SPEC 3) under criteria C1 and C2a(i) in the European IUCN Red List (BirdLife International, 2016), and is listed in Annex I of the EU Council Directive on the Conservation of Wild Birds (79/409/EEC, ‘Birds Directive’), in Appendix II of the Convention on the Conservation of European Wildlife and Natural Habitats (Bern Convention), in Appendix II of the CMS and in Appendix II of CITES. The species is legally protected in all European range states covered by the plan. Besides the European directives, each country has its own national legislation for the protection of the species.

In Spain the law 42/2007 of 13 December on Natural Heritage and Biodiversity establishes the guarantee of conservation of wild native species. Article 52 indicates that the regions will take the necessary measures to guarantee the conservation of biodiversity that lives in the wild. The Bearded Vulture in Spain is included in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species (Royal Decree 139/2011, of February 4) and receives the highest degree of protection ("En peligro de extinción"/ "Endangered").

In Italy under the Deliberazione Giunta Regionale N. 7/4345, the Bearded Vulture is considered as one of the most important species which is granted full protection and specific actions for its conservation.

In France the species is protected in accordance with the law 10th of July 1976. And its implementing Decree of 17th of April 1981 (amended by the Official Journal of the French Republic 19th of May 1981) establishes the list of protected birds on the whole territory. The Decree of 17 April 1981 was repealed by that of 29th of October 2009, which together with the Articles L.411-1 and L.411-2 of the Environmental Code establish the list of protected birds on the whole territory and their protection conditions.

Switzerland recognizes Bearded vultures as a priority in recovery programmes and as a Class 1 national priority in the Federal Office for the Environment (FOEN) for breeding birds in the 2011 Liste der National Prioritären Arten (List of National Priority Species). In the country, the species is listed as CR (Critically Endangered), yet considered a threatened species with low responsibility considering the small impact the Swiss population has on the overall conservation status of the species.

In Austria the species’ status was last assessed in 2005 and is still considered nationally as RE (Regionally Extinct). The conservation status varies among the different constitutive states: In Salzburg the species is listed as CR (Critically Endangered), in Steiermark as RE (Regionally Extinct), as NE (Not Evaluated) in Kärnten, and as Extinct in Voralberg. No validation is given for the remaining states. In most states, the protection of the species falls under the hunting legislation, although it’s nationally protected all year round. In Vienna, Niederösterreich, Burgenland, Steiermark, Salzburg, Kärnten and Vorarlberg the Bearded vulture is specifically included in the legislation, whereas in Oberösterreich and Tirol the species is not mentioned.

Overview of past and current threats Bearded vultures inhabit remote and sometimes unreachable places. This complicates the monitoring of the species and decreases the probability of finding the carcasses of deceased individuals, but also gives a certain level of shelter for the birds. Thus, it is often difficult to assess the actual risk of mortality and many cases go overseen. Although the species is rather restricted to a particular habitat, the socio-economical variances among countries in the European Union impact Bearded vulture populations differently on each region. Therefore, the severity and significance of each threat must be evaluated for each region in order to ensure a proper protection for the species. Considering mortality as the main indicator of population can sometimes be misleading, since some threats don’t affect direct survival, but rather productivity or population dynamics that consecutively might lead to severe population declines. Although most of the threats currently recognized were already identified either in the first action plan in 1999 or in its review in 2011, the risk still exist for most of them and none has been completely neutralized. The only new threat for the species considered in this current implementation review is the decrease of genetic diversity which is already affecting some of the populations (particularly the island population of Corsica), and in time might also affect other populations if no measurements are taken.

There is an important lack of knowledge on the real or potential impact that some of the new threats might have on the populations. For instance, it is unclear how the expansion of windfarms will affect Bearded vultures since no cases have been recorded so far. More research and a constant extensive monitoring of the different populations are key to address and minimize the effect of those threats for the species. Although the general overall trend is stable or positive, most European populations are still highly vulnerable. A study published in 2009 by Schaub showed that although the growth trend of the reintroduced Alpine population is positive, an increase of over 50% extra casualties per year would turn this trend into negative (Schaub et al., 2009); considering an average of 9-10 deaths per year, a 50% increase would mean the death of just 4-5 extra birds per year.

Table 1 Table of importance of Bearded Vulture threats by country1. The current level of importance2 of threats listed in 2010’s SAP review and newly identified threats are listed for each country. The original importance level of the threats as listed in the 1999 SAP are included in brackets

Threats Threats identified in 2010 identified in 2015

(high)

huma

Genetics

ingestion

Declinein

Poisoning

Wind farms

Disturbance

provision by

erioration erioration (high)

(locally high) (locally high)

on local food

farming (high)

Food shortage

Illegal shooting

Lead poisoning

Habitat and loss

Cattle medicines etc.)(antibiotics,

Overhead cables

(potentially high)

extensive livestock

(potentially critical) det

Rising dependence Austria L L L M L M M H U U U U France – Corsica C C H M C L L H C U U C France – Continent M L L M L M L H U U L U Greece (Crete) C M H H M M L L C U U C Italy L M L M M M L H U U U U Spain – Andalusia C M M M M M L H U U U U Spain – Pyrenees M H L M M M L H U U M U Switzerland L L L M L M L H U U U U

Assessment of the implementation

National and regional species action plans In Spain, taxons or populations which are listed as "Endangered" both in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species, and the specific lists of the Autonomous Communities should have an approved recovery plan. All three Pyrenean Autonomous Communities have published their own Recovery Plan. In 1991 Navarra Autonomy was the first Spanish region which published this plan (Local Decree 130/1991, 4th of April) which was four years later reviewed and approved as the II Recovery Plan (Local Decree 95/19951 10th of April). The Aragon and Catalonia Governments published in 1994 their own Recovery Plans (Decree 184/1994, 31st of August and Decree 282/1994, 29th of September respectively). Aragon reviewed its plan in 2003 (Decree 45/2003, 25th of February) and Catalonia published a book including the Recovery Plan in 2002. Andalusia is the last one which published a Recovery Plan for this species (BOJA 25/2011, 5th of February).

1 Information on threats facing the Bearded vulture for each country was provided by: E. Bassi (Italy), R. Moreno-Opo (Spain), H. Frey (Austria), S. Xirouchakis (Greece), R. Néouze, M. Heuret & JF. Seguin (France) and D. Hegglin (Switzerland) 2 L= Low; M = Medium; H = High; C = Critical; U = Unknown.

In 1997 the Environment Ministry of France published the first recovery plan for the Pyrenean Bearded Vulture for a 10 years period. A second Action Plan for the period 2010- 2020 has been published in 2010.

Furthermore national and international working groups coordinate the activities in the Alps and in the Pyrenees.

To the best of our knowledge, no action plans have been developed for Austria or Switzerland up to 2015.

Species conservation

Shooting Direct persecution and shooting, both legal and illegally, was one of the main reasons that lead to the extinction of Bearded vultures in most of the species’ former distribution range in the past century. Although it is now forbidden all across Europe, poaching is still taking place in several of the countries where the species is present. According to official records, only 2 cases of mortality by shooting have been confirmed in Europe since 2011. However, there are several reports of birds recovered dead or alive that have been non-mortally shot and still carried the pellets in their bodies, suggesting a higher risk that what can be assessed simply by counting mortal cases. In Austria, there are unofficial reports supported by data pointing out to shooting as one of the main reasons underlying the slow colonisation rate in this area of the Alps in comparison to other countries within the range in the past. Nevertheless, the occurrence of shooting has decreased overall in the last decade as a result of the implementation in the first decade of the century of several measurements, such as the declaration of non-hunting areas from the 1st of December to the end of the hunting season in Spain, improved monitoring of breeding grounds, etc. No specific plans on shooting have been undertaken in the last 5 years, but the general increase of awareness in conservation issues has had a positive impact in decreasing shooting.

Poisoning Poisoning is nowadays considered the most critical threat for Bearded vultures in many European countries. Although there have been no records of intentional poisoning directed against the species in decades, scavengers are highly susceptible to indirect poisoning when they feed on poisoned carcasses or baits aimed for large carnivores or other predators. Although the use of poison has decreased in Europe in the last decade, the persistence in key distribution areas, severe impact on the population and the struggle to stop its usage make it of critical priority for the conservation of the species in Europe. Only in Spain, two different LIFE projects against the use of poison have been started since 2010 (LIFE08 NAT/E/000062, LIFE09 NAT/E/000533), aiming for the fight against poisoning in several aspects of the problem, including the enforcement and upgrading of legislations, education, research and improvement of detection methodology, among others. Likewise, Italy is implementing two other LIFE projects with similar goals (LIFE13 NAT/IT/000311,

LIFE14 NAT/IT/000484), and one more in France (LIFE13 NAT/FR/000093). Moreover, there are several examples of cross-border collaborations between European countries, such an Italian-Spanish LIFE project (LIFE07 NAT/IT/000436) and several protocols and regulations implemented within the EU. National action protocols have also been developed, such is the case in France. No specific plans have been developed in Austria or Switzerland to our knowledge. However, although the amount of work in this aspect has increased significantly, it is still of top priority to increase the work, especially across borders.

Disturbance In Spain the species’ breeding grounds are regulated and monitored (for hunting, sports, forestry, etc.) between 1 December and 15 May. In the Italian regional Deliberazione Giunta Regionale N. 8/6648, the Lombardia Administration lists a set of activities that should be avoided for the conservation of the Bearded Vulture (including free climbing, fly-overs by airplanes, hand- and paragliding, etc.). In the proximity of the breeding cliffs it is forbidden to build new powerlines and it is a legal requirement to provide mitigation actions on existing powerlines. Breeding sites are thoroughly monitored within the International Bearded Vulture Monitoring carried out in the entire Alpine range. In Greece (Crete), regular patrolling and warding of the species nesting areas is carried out during the most critical stages of its breeding cycle.

The reintroduced Andalusian population of Bearded Vultures reproduced in the wild for the first time in 2015. The viability study for the Reintroduction Project in Andalusia showed that cliffs with high probability to be occupied by the species coincide with the areas where the species occurred in the past. Additionally these mountains, with places suitable for nesting, correspond largely with protected natural areas that are part of the RENPA (Hernández et al., 2005). This guarantees that all needed protection measurements for survival and breeding success will be applied in the future.

Enforcing avoidance of disturbance and warning of unsuccessful breeding pairs in Switzerland has been implemented by the Foundation for the Bearded Vultures in collaboration with the regional authorities.

Availability of food Both wild and reintroduced populations should be self-sustaining in terms of food resources in the long term for the viability of the species. Unlike other vulture species in other regions of the world, European vultures are generally strongly associated to, and even dependent of, human resources for their survival. Thus, food availability is largely reliant on wild ungulates and domestic livestock, but also on feeding points in areas where free-ranging ungulates cannot sustain the vulture population. This is for instance the case of the French and Spanish Pyrenees, where Bearded vultures are dependent on specific supplementary feeding due to the insufficient amount of free-ranging ungulates. The reintroduced Alpine and Andalusian populations of Bearded vultures are able to feed on wild ungulates and can subsist without artificial feeding due to the low concentration in these areas. Lack of food is

considered the main reason underlying the low productivity in some certain areas, such as the island population of Corsica.

The impact of predictable feeding sites in populations has been thoroughly studied in the Pyrenees, and it’s been proven that although it plays an important role in decreasing pre- adult mortality (Oro et al., 2008), it has the opposite effect in adult birds as well as decreasing productivity. Moreover, it’s been proven that the presence of this type of feeding sites has a negative impact in juvenile dispersive potential, which in time might affect the population (Margalida et al., 2013). However, the use of artificial feeding sites is the main conservation actions being implemented in isolated island populations such as Corsica and Crete, where specific feeding plans are being implemented and developed.

After the outbreak of BSE (Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy) in the early 2000s, the European Commission changed the regulations on carcasses disposal in order to decrease the risks of infection. However, the EU reverted to less strict regulations once the risk was deemed low. Nowadays, EU regulations are quite open on the matter, which have important implications for European populations such as the case in France. In Spain, these regulations were not accepted nationally until 2011, but the implementation of these regulations is still diverse across the country.

Collisions Since the beginning of the reintroduction project in the Alps, 6 cases of mortality by collision with overhead powerlines and ski-lift cables have been detected, but it is expected that this problem affects more individuals than what can be found. This is a threat that although localised and difficult to quantify, is considered of medium to high importance in all European countries. Since 2014, a new LIFE project (LIFE GypHelp, LIFE13 NAT/FR/000093) has been started to tackle some of the anthropological threats that affect the Bearded vulture and how to mitigate them. Collision is one of the main problems targeted by this project.

Saturnism Saturnism is the result of the excessive ingestion or absorption of lead, which affects the brain (mobility, equilibrium), produces anaemia, affects blood and digestive systems, etc. It can be presented in both acute and chronic forms. It is well documented that the ingestion of high levels of lead is a widespread problem which affects large birds of prey that feed on the remains of discarded shot game species which still contain lead ammunition. Bearded vultures are particularly sensitive to lead intoxication due to a very low gastric pH, which dissolves lead and releases it in the bloodstream. Lead t and it’s considered of high priority in practically every European country where Bearded vultures occur. Although the existence of lead poisoning has been known for decades, the extent of the impact on wild populations is still unknown.

Since 2011, several programmes on detection of saturnism in recaptured or dead birds have been taking place, mostly in the Alps. Since 2012, a coordinated monitoring and sampling protocol has been in place in the Alps, and the results of these years of study are now starting to be published. The main action projected against lead intoxication is to ban the use of lead ammunition at least in protected areas; although some countries (e.g. Spain, Switzerland, France, etc.) have already started implementing these actions, it has met a strong resistance from the hunting community so it’s still far from accomplished. In Spain a specific plan to promote the use of lead free ammunition for big game in the reintroduction areas by means of targeting cooperatives (hunter associations, hunting environmental officers, etc) has achieved some success. Part of the LIFE project GypHelp (LIFE13 NAT/FR/000093) also aims to identify lead sources in the French Alps.

Habitat conservation The distribution/density of Ibex (Capra ibex) and a combination of spacious pastures in close proximity to steep cliffs (preferably limestone) have been found to be key factors when modelling Bearded Vulture habitat in the Alps (Hirzel et al., 2004; Zink, 2006). Conserving the species’ habitat and ensuring the implementation of effective habitat protection policy has received a good level of implementation, with the exception of Turkey, where work has been limited.

The Andalusian Environmental Government environmentally assesses and reports every project inside the Natural Protected Areas (including Natura 2000 Network). Additionally, the Andalusian Gypaetus Foundation assesses projects that potentially affect the Bearded Vulture in the foreseen reintroduction areas. These reports are issued to the environmental authorities in order to have Bearded vulture-specific assessment to evaluate the projects. A "Manual for the Preventive conservation of the Bearded Vulture and its Habitat" in Spain have been published by the Gypaetus Foundation.

Wind farms Up to date, no cases of Bearded vulture mortality by wind turbines have been recorded so far, so it is unclear how the expansion of wind farms will affect the species. However, if we consider the biology of the species (a large scavenger with low reproduction rate that flies long distances in search of food), and the known impact on other large raptors and vulture species (such as Griffon vultures in Spain, with an estimated 1000 casualties per year, A. Camiña pers. comm.) this might become an important threat in the future. The risk has been assessed as particularly high and even critical in the island populations of Crete and Corsica, as well as Switzerland, as a response to the recent announcement of future plans for the development of wind parks in areas near Bearded vulture territories. In the year 2009 the European Bearded vulture experts agreed upon a resolution to mitigate the risks caused by wind turbines, although no further actions have been undertaken.

Other specific conservation measures Since 2010, a new release area (Massif Central) has been included in the plan to restore the former Bearded vulture European meta-population to serve as a stepping stone between the Pyrenean and Alpine populations. This is the basis of the LIFE project GypConnect (LIFE14 NAT/FR/000050). So far only one bird has flown from this area into the Pyrenees, and has established itself there. The next step planned for connectivity among populations will be to link the island populations with the closest populations (the Alps in this case), most probably by starting a new release project in the Balkans (cf. Balkan Vulture Action Plan - www.balkanvultures.net). The Andalusian Government has promoted a Reintroduction Program3 that is being implemented by the Gypaetus Foundation. As a general rule in conservation, facilitation of natural recolonization from wild populations would be preferred over specific artificial reintroduction projects, but sometimes, as it’s the case of Bearded vulture, reintroductions are the most suitable methodology. A research conducted by Margalida (Margalida et al., 2015) showed that there’s virtually no dispersion from the Pyrenean population, as well as the remaining island nuclei. Moreover, the natural low concentration of the species and the highly restricted geographical requirements make natural recolonization extremely unlikely. Therefore, in order to stablish the meta-population and re-connect populations, reintroductions are the most suitable scheme.

A second LIFE project (LIFE12 NAT/ES/000322) is being implemented in Picos de Europa (North of Spain) intended to establish a satellite population and test experimental release methods.

In addition to the monitoring of the breeding populations in the Pyrenees, Corsica and in Crete, all Bearded vultures released in Andalusia and in the Alps are constantly monitored, including general public surveys, Satellite-GPS radio-tagging and direct observation on the field. Determining the causes of death are critical for the Andalusian population and this work is regularly implemented by the Regional Government. Future studies regarding seasonal food availability and future trends on extensive stockbreeding activity are needed. Genotyping, telemetry and alpine monitoring are coordinated and sustained by International Bearded Vulture Monitoring and its partners for Switzerland, Austria, Italy and France.

International cooperation The Bearded vulture is an optimal example of collaboration across borders, with several international projects taking place. Besides the Italian-Spanish and French-Spanish LIFE projects (respectively LIFE07 NAT/IT/000436 and LIFE14 NAT/FR/000050), there are other projects involving two or more EU countries, such the Interreg plan Pyrenees Vivantes that lasted from 2002 to 2005 between France and Spain (Aragón) and later on became a national French organization made up of over 50 different associations. The main aim of this project was the improvement in research, conservation actions and divulgation.

3 For more info see: www.gypaetus.org (in spanish)

Another example of international collaboration is the IBM (International Bearded vulture Monitoring), responsible of the coordination of the monitoring of Bearded vultures across the Central and Southern European countries. Every year all IBM partners, in collaboration with the Vulture Conservation Foundation and Alparc, meet at a specific summit about Bearded Vulture to exchange information and experiences from the Alpine countries, Spain and other countries covering the distribution of the species.

In the end of 2016/beginning of 2017 a new international project focused on the conservation of Bearded vultures is bound to start: Ecogyp, a joint project between several organizations and regions in France and Spain with the main aim of promoting the coordinated monitoring, research and exchange of information among parties.

A Bearded Vulture network was established through LIFE projects' initiative from beneficiaries from Spain, the Alps4 (France, Italy, Austria) and Greece. Its effectiveness has been key in improving field techniques and management tools as well as the production of common public awareness material.

The Andalusian reintroduction project is oriented to the recovery of the species at regional level, but is also part of an international initiative to recover all circun-mediterranean populations led by the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF), including conservation and reintroduction projects in France, Austria, Italy and Switzerland, between others. All this project share best international breeding, monitoring and releasing methodologies and standards. All reintroduction projects in the frame of the VCF are also part of the EEP (European Endangered Species Breeding Program), meaning a common Stud Book policy and a continuous exchange of exemplars when needed.

Public awareness and stakeholder involvement Public awareness and stakeholder involvement is one of the most important tools that conservationist use nowadays. Almost every project on conservation must include some work on education and/or training specifically designed in its plan. Such actions have been quite well implemented in the EU and public awareness has increased significantly over the last years. Several conservation organizations and regional (Aragon, Andalusia, etc) and national (Spain) governments have made public awareness campaigns on the problem of the poisoning (seminars, conferences, etc) and have produced awareness-raising materials (internet information and other). Quarterly an email newsletter (English) is distributed among all conservationists working on the bearded vulture. It intends to exchange relevant information all over Europe.

In Andalusia, strong awareness rising campaigns have been developed against shooting and disturbances in the frame of the Bearded Vulture Reintroduction Program, including promotion of hunters' and stockbreeder associations’ prominence and participation in awareness raising initiatives.

4 see http://www.gypaete-barbu.com/download/bilan.pdf

In Greece, a massive public awareness campaign was implemented, targeting all big raptors on the island of Crete, with the Bearded Vulture as flagship species.

Disseminative actions took place in several protected areas where the species occurs in Italy. A general lack of information is apparent in large parts of the Italian mountains where the species is not common or rare.

A campaign is being implemented in Switzerland which attempts to reduce the use of lead ammunition (promoting the use of other, e.g. copper-based, ammunition). Also, the campaign advocates the removal of potentially lead-polluted body parts of animals shot for hunting purposes.

In France, besides the two Bearded vulture specific LIFE projects aforementioned, there is a former Interreg programme, Pyrenees Vivantes, and the new Ecogyp project, both of which clearly refer to the importance of working with the local communities and involve them in conservation actions.

Community financial support Eleven LIFE projects that benefit the Bearded Vulture have been implemented during the period 2000-2010 in France (2), Greece (2), Italy (1), Italy and Switzerland (1), and Spain (5), with a total budget of more than 7.7 million Euros, of which the total European Union contribution was more than 5 million Euros. In addition, over 220,000 Euros of national government and other funding has been invested in conservation of the Bearded Vulture.

Conclusions The progress in the overall implementation of the action plan is good but further work is still needed (overall IS=2.9). The SAP has been most successfully implemented in France and Spain, which wasn’t included in 2010’s review. Almost all actions have been improved in the last 5 years. This is a good sign that shows the effective work and improvement on the methodologies used since 2010. The largest progress has been made in determining cause of death/failure and levels of environmental contaminants (action 3.4.1) that increased by 0.88 (2.1 to 2.98), followed by promoting international cooperation (3.1.1) and conservation of habitat (2.3.1). The least progress has been made in implementing effective habitat protection policy (1.2.1) that in fact went down from 2.9 to 2.86. Although the implementation score of all other actions increased, the lesser improvement were in researching factors influencing population trends and limiting the threats for the species. This is not surprising considering most of the research had already been done beforehand, and there were specific plans against most threats running already by 2010.

Further measures/work still needed especially in the fields of:  Determining causes of repeated breeding failure in island populations and take immediate action to avoid losing these populations

 Re-establishing the tradition of dumping animal carcasses at specific places near villages with full agreement and cooperation of local authorities, local farmers and hunters.  Enforcing the regulations that ensure that livestock that dies in the field is left out for the Bearded vulture.  Carrying out specific targeted supplementary feeding in island populations.  Reducing mortality risks such as wind turbines, aerial cables, poisoned baits and lead poisoning and preparing specific information materials and implementing and targeted campaigns where poisoning is a problem.  Increase research in order to fill gaps in knowledge, particularly on the reasons underlying breeding failure/ low productivity in each area and implement specific measures to revert the trend

Contributors Richard Zink (International Bearded Vulture Monitoring & Vulture Conservation Foundation, Austria); Hans Frey (Vulture Conservation Foundation); Stavros Xirouchakis (Natural History Museum of Crete, University of Crete); Enrico Bassi (Stelvio National Park); Daniel Hegglin (Foundation for the Bearded Vultures); Rubén Moreno Opo (Complutense University of Madrid); Antoni Margalida (University of Lleida).

Appendix 1 Table 2 Implementation of the action plan in the European range states5. PS = Priority Score; Ave. IS = Average Implementation Score; API = Action Priority Index; National IS = National Implementation Score.

Action Measure PS AU IT CH FR CR GR SP Ave. IS API 1.1.1 Implement effective species protection policy for the Bearded Vulture 3 4.0 4.0 3.3 4.0 4.0 2.7 4.0 3.7 0.3 a. The Bearded Vulture receives the highest degree of legal protection at international and national 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 4 3.9 0.2 level. b. National catalogues and inventories of threatened species are elaborated and recovery plans are 4 4 2 4 4 1 4 4 3.3 0.7 incorporated into domestic legislation. c. All range states are party to relevant international treaties and conventions, in particular the Bern 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4 4.0 0.0 Convention. 1.2.1 Implement effective habitat protection policy 3 3.0 3.0 1.0 4.0 3.0 2.5 3.5 2.9 1.1 a. Environmental Impact Assessment carried out for all activities likely to affect habitats or species on 3 0 3 1 0 3 2 3 1.7 2.3 SPAs. b. The majority of Bearded Vulture territories are included in the European networks of protected 3 3 3 0 4 3 3 4 2.9 1.1 areas. 1.3.1 Implement effective policy to ensure provision of Bearded Vulture food sources 2.5 2.0 2.0 2.5 3.5 2.0 1.5 1.5 2.1 1.5 a. Common Agriculture Policy ensures maintenance of traditional farming practices in mountain areas 3 3 2 4 3 2 2 1 2.4 1.6 throughout the EU. b. Traditional system of disposal of animal carcasses near villages is restored. 2 1 0 1 4 0 1 2 1.3 1.8 2.1.1 Limit the threats to the Bearded Vulture 2 2.7 2.5 3.3 2.5 3.3 1.0 3.0 2.6 0.9 a. Disturbance at breeding sites during incubation and the early stages of breeding prevented. 2 4 3 3 2 3 1 3 2.7 0.9 b. All human activity within 1 km around the nest restricted. 2 0 3 3 2 4 1 3 2.3 1.1 c. Wardening campaigns undertaken at sites where Bearded Vultures regularly fail to breed 2 2 1 4 2 0 1 2 1.7 1.5 successfully. d. Prohibitions on shooting Bearded Vultures effectively enforced. 2 2 3 3 4 3 1 4 2.9 0.8

5 AU = Austria; FR = France; GR=Greece; IT=Italy; ES=Spain (National); CH =Switzerland; CR=Corsica.

2.2.1 Promote the provision of wild and domestic food sources 3 2.5 2.0 2.5 3.3 2.8 2.0 2.3 2,5 1,5 a. Specific supplementary feeding in all the European populations (especially island populations) 4 3 0 0 3 4 3 4 2,4 2,1 carried out. b. Restoration of wild ungulate populations promoted and poaching of them controlled. 2 3 2 4 3 2 1 3 2,6 1,0 c. Livestock that dies in the field is left out for the vultures. 3 2 0 1 3 4 3 1 2,0 2,0 d. Tradition of dumping animal carcasses at a specific place near the villages is re-established with full 3 2 0 0 4 1 1 1 1,3 2,7 agreement and cooperation of local authorities, local farmers and hunters. 2.3.1 Conserve the species' habitat 3 0 2.5 2.0 3.0 3.5 3.0 3.5 2,9 1,1 a. IBAs which include the Bearded Vulture are designated as Special Protection Areas. 3 0 3 0 3 4 4 3 2,4 1,6 b. Damaging developments (eg. road construction) prohibited or appropriately modified in Bearded 3 0 2 2 3 3 2 4 2,3 1,7 Vulture areas. 2.4.1 Develop international conservation projects that benefit the Bearded Vulture 3 0 3 0 4 0 3 3 3,3 0,8 International conservation projects submitted to the EU LIFE regulation or other funding agencies. 3 0 3 0 4 0 3 3 3,3 0,8 3.1.1 Promote international cooperation and exchange of experience among experts working on the 4 0 4 4 4 4 3 3 3,7 0,4 species. International cooperation and exchange of experience occurs among experts working on the species. 4 0 4 4 4 4 3 3 3,7 0,4 3.2.1 Conduct surveys and monitoring of the population 3 3.2 2.8 4.0 3.8 3.3 2.3 3.5 3,3 0,7 a. Baseline surveys of population status conducted in countries where the species is less known. 3 1 1 4 4 0 0 0 1,4 2,6 b. Regular monitoring of the breeding population, including breeding success, carried out. 3 4 4 4 4 4 3 4 3,9 0,1 c. Annual searches conducted to identify new pairs. 3 4 2 4 4 3 3 4 3,4 0,6 d. Attendance at feeding stations monitored. 2 3 0 0 3 3 1 2 1,7 1,5 e. Adequate monitoring and follow up of reintroduction projects in place. 2 4 4 4 4 0 0 4 2,9 0,8 3.3.1 Undertake research on requirements and factors influencing population trends sufficient to 2 2.0 3.0 2.8 2.3 3.0 2.2 3.0 2,6 0,9 prepare national recovery plans. a. Studies on population dynamics and age structure and complete PVA carried out on islands and 2 1 0 1 3 3 1 0 1,3 1,8 countries where the species is decreasing. b. Causes of repeated breeding failure in island populations determined through detailed research. 3 1 0 0 0 2 1 0 0,6 3,4 c. Causes of mortality, survival rates and dispersal patterns determined by satellite tracking. 3 3 3 3 2 3 3 3 2,9 1,1 d. Research developed on genetic variation at European and global level, with genetic studies 2 3 3 4 1 4 3 3 3,0 0,7 determining the degree of inbreeding in isolated populations. e. Research conducted on food availability, especially in winter, where scarcity is believed to be factor. 2 2 0 3 3 3 3 3 2,4 1,0

3.4.1 Examine specimens to determine cause of death/failure and levels of environmental 1 2.7 4.0 4.0 3.5 1.7 1.3 3.7 3,0 0,3 contaminants a. Pathological examinations of dead specimens conducted to determine cause of death. 2 4 4 4 4 2 2 4 3,4 0,4 b. Examinations of failed eggs/ eggshells with suspected or confirmed high pesticide levels or from 1 1 0 0 0 2 1 4 1,1 1,0 pairs with repeated breeding failure conducted, to determine fertility and embryo development. c. Exposure and incidence of lead poisoning in untested populations or in susceptible populations 1 3 4 4 3 1 1 3 2,7 0,4 investigated. 4.1.1 Improve and maintain public awareness of the Bearded Vulture, its habitats and conservation 3 3.0 1.7 3.3 3.0 1.0 2.7 3.0 2,5 1,5 needs a. Information and education materials about the threats to Bearded Vulture prepared, targeted at 2.5 3 2 4 3 1 3 3 2,7 1,1 landowners, hunters and livestock farmers. b. Where poisoning is a problem, specific information materials prepared and targeted campaign 4 3 1 3 0 0 3 3 1,9 2,9 implemented. c. Special section on the Bearded Vulture incorporated in information centers within PAs where the 2 3 2 3 0 1 2 3 2,0 1,3 species occurs. National & Average IS 2.8 2.9 3.0 3.4 2.9 2.3 3.1 2,9

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