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In-situ conservation in Nepal increases vulture numbers--Feb 2008
A project led by Bird Conservation Nepal has led to localised increases in numbers of nesting birds around one of Nepal's few remaining breeding colonies. The in-situ conservation work has focused on removing stock of diclofenac from vets and pharmacies and swapping this for the vulture safe drug meloxicam across the whole Nawalparasi district of Nepal where the vulture colony is located, as well as providing drug free feeding resources and vulture education and advocacy to local people in the area.
Numbers of vultures breeding at the colony totalled 17 pairs in the 2006/07 breeding season at the start of this project. Following 8 months of conservation efforts in the area numbers in the 2007/08 breeding season had increased to 33 pairs of vultures, including two nests of the rarest slender-billed vulture, a species that had not been seen in this area for the two previous seasons. Breeding success during the 2007/08 season also appears to be very high, although final numbers of chicks that fledge still need to be confirmed. Whilst these increases are small in comparison with the loss of vultures from across Nepal and India, they still represent the first measured increase in vulture numbers at any monitored site in Nepal and India.
In-situ conservation has focused on removing the veterinary drug diclofenac, providing safe food around the breeding colony and an extensive conservation education and advocacy programme. Removal of diclofenac from vets and pharmacies was made possible by a one for one swapping programme replacing diclofenac with the vulture safe drug meloxicam. Over $2,000 of meloxicam has been swapped in this region. Safe food has been provided by establishing a cow farm in the village surrounding the vulture colony. This farm buys old cattle at the end of their working lives that are otherwise destined to be sold to cattle traders (for use as meat) or else abandoned by their owners. The cattle are housed in purpose built cattle sheds and herded to fields on community forest lands in the village. No cattle are killed for the vultures, instead they are herded until they die a natural death. The animals are then skinned (providing an important income to the programme) and the guaranteed safe drug free carcass is then placed out for vultures to feed upon. Flocks of over 100 vultures are regularly seen around the colony feeding on these safe carcasses. The final element of the in-situ conservation programme is to provide education on the value of vultures for the local community in regards their ability to clean up carcasses and therefore help reduce the risk of disease and increasing numbers of feral dogs. In addition the local community has received funding from the UNDP-GEF Small Grants programme to help establish a vulture watching hide, education and community centre to further promote vulture conservation. Increasing numbers of visitors are now visiting the site, providing further incentive to protect these vultures.
Follow these links for further information about this project in Nepal
Bird Conservation Nepal projects
UNDP Success Stories
BirdLife International news
Reuters press news
New Scientist Environment
Support for the in-situ conservation project in Nepal has come from the United Nations Development Programme, the UK Government Darwin Initiative and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds
The images below show the vulture hide overlooking cattle carcasses, and numbers of white-backed and Himalayan griffin vultures after feeding at the site
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