Saturday 26 October the LIFE Safe for Vultures Project in Sardinia celebrated fifty years of Griffon Vultures conservation. It did so with a public initiative at Molentargius Regional Natural Park in Cagliari. The project team and partners took stock of the project achievements and presented a preview of the documentary by filmmakers Susan and Olav Koenig, featuring the release of 22 griffon vultures in South Sardinia on 9 October.
Griffon Vultures (Gyps fulvus) play a key role in Sardinian ecology. In a region renowned for its extensive livestock farming and rural landscape, these scavengers are essential for maintaining ecosystem balance. However, their numbers declined drastically after the Second World War, bringing them close to extinction on the island.
Thanks to dedicated conservation initiatives and two LIFE projects, Griffon Vultures are now thriving in Sardinia, with a growing population and expanding distribution. There are numerous conservation actions in place, covering all the major threats to the species survival: habitat loss, food scarcity, poisoning and collision with electrical infrastructure.
On October 26, the LIFE Safe for Vultures project and its partners celebrated the incredible results of Griffon Vultures conservation in Sardinia and discussed the future of this species on the Island.
The roundtable at Molentargius
The celebration honoured fifty years of Griffon Vulture conservation in Sardinia, while also acknowledging ongoing challenges and future initiatives.
The LIFE Safe for Vultures project and its partners – including the Department of Veterinary Medicine of the University of Sassari, which is the lead partner, the Forestas Agency, the Forestry department of the Region of Sardinia, E-Distribuzione and the Vulture Conservation Foundation – organised a public event and a roundtable in Molentargius.
The event featured the screening of the documentary made by filmmakers Susan and Olav Koenig, which captures the “behind the scenes” of the reintroduction of 22 Griffon Vultures in Sardinia and their release flight on 9 October.
Fiammetta Berlinguer, professor at the University of Sassari and scientific head of the project, opened the round table discussion. Ornithologist Mauro Aresu moderated the discussion featuring the major actors of Griffon Vultures conservation in Sardinia. Participants at the round table included Francesco Guillot, president of Lipu Sardegna, Alfonso Campus and Federico Nurchis of the L’altra Bosa association, as well as Giovanni Sechi of the Agenzia Forestas and Giovanni Paulis of WWF Italy. The event closed with remarks by our director Josè Tavares who illustrated the prospects and challenges of vultures’ conservation.
The history of Griffon Vultures Conservation in Sardinia
The first conservation effort to preserve the Griffon Vultures population in Sardina dates back to 1974-1977. In those years, the WWF launched the “Raptors of Sardinia” initiative. This project monitored vulture populations, raised public awareness, and established protected areas and feeding stations in Bosa, Alghero, and Oliena. After that first step, environmental associations like LIPU and Legambiente joined the cause, promoting awareness and action at local and national levels.
In 2014 the LIFE Under the Griffon Wings project inherited the legacy of the previous conservation initiatives and reintroduced Griffon Vultures on the northern part of Sardinia. In partnership with Forestas Agency, the Forestry department of the Region of Sardinia, Junta de Andalucía, and the Vulture Conservation Foundation, the project addressed threats through targeted actions. These included establishing a network of feeding stations, upgrading the Wildlife Rescue Centre in Bonassai, and training an anti-poison dog unit to detect poisoned baits.
The LIFE Under the Griffon Wings project concluded in 2020 with impressive results. The Griffon Vultures population in Sardinia increased from 100 individuals to 250. Building on this success, the LIFE Safe for Vultures project launchedin 2021. Its goals include expanding the vulture’s distribution range to central-eastern and southern Sardinia, restoring the species’ original range, and mitigating key threats such as poisoning and collisions with energy infrastructure.
Griffon Vultures are not only vital for Sardinian ecosystems, but their recovery also exemplifies the power of national and international collaboration to change the fate of a species.
LIFE Safe for Vultures is a project co-financed by the EU’s LIFE Programme, acting as the first step to the restoration of the vulture guild in Sardinia. The University of Sassari leads the project in collaboration with Agenzia Regionale Forestas, Sardegna Corpo Forestale, E-Distribuzione and the Vulture Conservation Foundation. LIFE Safe for Vultures builds on the work of the successful LIFE Under Griffon Wings, with the ultimate objective for Griffon Vultures to regain their historic ranges and distribution areas from the central-eastern part of Sardinia to the south and at the same time promote the long-term survival of the species on the island. The project team is working to expand the network of farm feeding stations, create several anti-poison dog units to tackle wildlife poisoning, establish an additional feeding station in the south of the island, restock the population by importing 40 additional Griffon Vultures and reduce the threat of collision and electrocution with energy infrastructures.