1 › Healthy vultures = healthy people, saved from the spread of life-threatening diseases. 2 › Vultures save the African economy money due to their unique waste disposal services. 3 › It is a moral and social imperative to save them, we need to act now.

BirdLife is profiling the African vulture crisis and fighting to save them from extinction, for the benefit of natural ecosystems, economies and human health.

CAN YOU WHAT IMAGINE CAN AFRICA YOU WITHOUT DO VULTURES NEXT

1 › DEVELOP & IMPLEMENT the Multi-Species Action Plan for African-Eurasian Vultures as mandated by the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) Resolution 11.14.

2 › IMPLEMENT the CMS Preventing Poisoning Guidelines which call specifically for:

a › Developing and enforcing appropriate legislation to control, ban or restrict the sale, storage, distribution, use and disposal of toxic chemicals used in the indiscriminate killing of wildlife. b › Introducing and enforcing penalties on those found guilty of wildlife poisoning events that reflect the serious nature of the crime and act as sufficient deter- rent to prevent the perpetration of such acts in future.

3 › ENCOURAGE MULTI-SECTORAL, NATIONAL, REGIONAL, AND INTERNATIONAL COLLABORATION to address threats to vultures. This collaboration should target players in agrochemical and livestock sec- tors regarding poison baits, energy sectors regarding energy generation and transmission, and health sectors regarding disease transmission and traditional medicine, and trade in vulture body parts.

4 › RAISE AWARENESS of the plight of vultures, their ecological importance and valuable ecosystem services, and propose solutions for African vulture conservation at the highest political levels both nationally and regionally.

COVER PHOTOS KEVIN PENHALLOW, VALERIYA ANUFRIYEVA © SHUTTERSTOCK VULTURE CARTOONS © BIRDORABLE

DESIGNED BY ANDREA CANFORA

EDITORIAL BY SHAUN HURRELL, LUCA BONACCORSI, MASUMI GUDKA, KARIUKI NDANG’ANG’A, ROGER SAFFORD, IAN BURFIELD, ANDRE BOTHA, NICK WILLIAMS

FOR MORE INFORMATION CONTACT [email protected] or [email protected]

© BIRDLIFE INTERNATIONAL 2016 AFRICA’S VULTURES COLLAPSE THE LAST VULTURES CLEAN UP CARCASSES BirdLife International for the IUCN Red List; Ogada et al 2015. Last 30 years AFRICAN VULTURE

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED 1.0 LEGEND RÜPPELL'S VULTURE 0.9 Gyps rueppellii 97%

0.8 ALL BIRDS GLOBALLY

CRITICALLY ENDANGERED 0.7 AFRICA'S VULTURES WHITE-HEADED VULTURE Trigonoceps occipitalis 96% 0.6 1.0 LEAST CONCERN WITH VULTURES › ONE HOUR 0.0 EXTINCT They clean carcasses bare 0.5 before disease spores can form CRITICALLY ENDANGERED 7 OF 11 YEAR 0.4 Africa’s WHITE-BACKED VULTURE vulture Gyps africanus 90% species 0.3 are on the edge of extinction 0.2 CRITICALLY ENDANGERED

0.1 HOODED VULTURE Necrosyrtes monachus 83% 0.0 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 ????

ENDANGERED WITHOUT VULTURES › A FEW DAYS They reduce the spread of diseases like Anthrax, Rabies, Tuberculosis, Botulism, Brucellosis EGYPTIAN VULTURE WHAT THREATENS AFRICA’S VULTURES? Neophron percnopterus 92% Percentages are only representative reasons for recorded deaths. Other important threats, as yet hard to quantify, such as habitat reduction, disturbance at nesting sites and reduced food availability are not illustrated. 61% 9% ENDANGERED VULTURES ARE WORTH MILLIONS

CAPE VULTURE Gyps coprotheres 92%

POISONING ELECTROCUTION › Poisoning as a result & COLLISION A single vulture is worth over US $ 11,000 ENDANGERED of human-wildlife With poorly-planned ‹ dollars just for its cleaning services. conflict where vultures powerlines, By halting the spread of disease, they are worth LAPPET-FACED VULTURE are incidental victims. windfarms and roads. much, much more to governments in saved Torgos tracheliotos 80% › Intentional poisoning by Increasing threat ‹ health service costs, not to mention tourism, etc. ivory poachers not wanting with investment to be found by rangers. in development.

NEAR THREATENED POISONING BEARDED VULTURE Gypaetus barbatus 70% 29% 1%

IUCN RED LIST SCALE

1 LEAST CONCERN ENDANGERED 4

2 NEAR THREATENED CRITICALLY ENDANGERED 5 PERSECUTION OTHER RECORDED KILLING › For body parts used in traditional medicine. People are potentially ‹ 1 Poisoned elephant carcass = 3 VULNERABLE EXTINCT 6 › Also involves the use of poison. eating poisoned vultures. up to 500 dead vultures per incident