{"id":36762,"date":"2024-01-04T17:21:32","date_gmt":"2024-01-04T15:21:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/?p=36762"},"modified":"2025-05-05T15:46:46","modified_gmt":"2025-05-05T12:46:46","slug":"griffon-vulture-in-the-balkans-insights-from-the-2023-census","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/griffon-vulture-in-the-balkans-insights-from-the-2023-census\/","title":{"rendered":"Griffon Vulture in the Balkans: insights from the 2023 Census"},"content":{"rendered":"

Each year, several organisations in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia, and North Macedonia collaborate on a comprehensive Griffon Vulture census. Thanks to the successful implementation of conservation projects throughout the last decade, the Griffon Vulture population is growing and expanding to new breeding locations across the Balkans. How many Griffon Vultures were counted this year?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Gyps fulvus – Griffon Vulture , Bulgaria \u00a9 Yana Barzova<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Griffon Vulture in the Balkans: Insights from the 2023 Census<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

On 2 December 2023, almost 100 technicians and vulture experts from 20 organisations spent the day outdoors to count Griffon Vultures. The census occurs annually in several known and potential roosting sites in Bulgaria, Greece, Serbia and North Macedonia. With favourable weather conditions in most observation sites this year, 849 Griffon Vultures were counted, 48 more than last year (801). <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cRoost counts are only a part of our common monitoring and conservation actions, but they provide essential information concerning population trends, pair bonding, cliff selection, and population age structure. If we keep the positive population trend in the future, I think we will see the Griffon Vulture reoccupying its former breeding range in the Balkans again”.<\/p>\nDobromir Dobrev<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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Results of the Griffon Vultures Census 2023 in the Balkans <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u00a9 Dobromir Dobrev<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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\u00a9 Vladimir Dobrev<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Griffon Vulture Census 2023 in the Balkans<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Dobromir Dobrev, from the BSPB<\/a>, coordinator of the international census, states that the number of people involved in the annual initiative has been growing in the last editions, stressing, however, that there are still monitoring gaps. The count\u2019s efficiency and the data’s robustness require a higher number of sites covered and people involved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Expanding in the Balkan countries<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Griffon Vultures are the most abundant vulture species breeding in Europe. They are globally considered \u201cLeast Concern\u201d, according to the IUCN RedList<\/a> (BirdLife International. 2021), with populations ranging from the Iberian Peninsula to the Himalayas and Africa. A long-lived species that mastered the art of flying with the minimum energy consumption, Griffon Vultures soar the skies, foraging unpredictable food sources across vast geographies<\/a> in a single day. Over 85% of the Griffon Vulture (Gyps fulvus<\/a><\/em>) population is concentrated in Spain (Vulture Estimates, VCF, 2022<\/a>), and is increasing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, in some regions, such as Sardinia<\/a>, Cyprus<\/a> e Croatia<\/a>, the subpopulations are Critically Endangered. In the Balkan countries, after a historical decline, the species has slightly increased in the last 39 years (D. Dobrev et al., 2021<\/a>). Although its former range was contracted to half, several related to poison incidents, Griffon Vultures are now on a positive trajectory, with subpopulations gradually increasing in Serbia, Bulgaria and Croatia. In Bulgaria, for instance, the indigenous colony in the Rhodope Mountains <\/a>is increasing, and new colonies started forming in 2010 in three breeding locations. Collaborative conservation efforts and Griffon Vulture releases in Bulgaria, at the Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park<\/a> and the Kresna Gorge<\/a>, highly contribute to this population growth. In Greece and North Macedonia, the species is facing a moderate decline (D. Dobrev et al., 2021).<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"\n\t\t\t\n\t\t\t\t\n\t\t\t<\/svg>\n\t\t<\/button>
\u00a9 D. Dobrev et al., 2021 – General map of the study area, marked in grey. The hatched area represents the Griffon\nVulture population range (Birdlife International 2017) and shows the key location of the Griffon\nVulture\u2019s Balkan population with respect to species global population range. Black dots represent\nmain operational feeding sites (Azmanis et al. 2009, Marinkovic\u00b4 et al. 2020), while the white dots\nshow both main active feeding and reintroduction sites in the Balkans with the start year of their\noperation.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Working beyond borders: ensuring a future for the Griffon Vulture across the Balkans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Conservation projects, implemented collaboratively by many organisations across the Balkans, have supported the return<\/a> of the species in several regions. Young individuals, wild-hatched and captive-bred in other European countries, have been released in Bulgaria to repopulate suitable breeding<\/a> sites. Alongside releasing and monitoring actions, additional measures have been fundamental in promoting conditions for the species\u2019 consolidation, such as increasing food availability, improving habitat fitness and fighting illegal wildlife poisoning<\/a> and other threats, that affect vulture populations. These pan-European initiatives stimulate collaboration beyond their national realms. Partners working across different geographies align efforts and share data, methods and strategies to ensure a brighter future for vulture species beyond political borders.  <\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\u201cI see the growth of GV in Bulgaria (and the Balkans) over the last decades as positive. United in our efforts, we stand strong and can contribute significantly more at a Balkans level to support the recovery of the vulture populations.\u201d<\/p>\nDobromir Dobrev<\/cite><\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n

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\u00a9 Dobromir Dobrev<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Griffon Vulture Census 2023 Balkans \u00a9 Hristo Ivanov<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Organisations involved in the 2023 Griffon Vulture Census in the Balkans<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

\u00a0Bulgaria: <\/strong>Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds\/Birdlife Bulgaria<\/a>,\u00a0Rewilding Rhodopes<\/a>, Fund for Wild Flora and Fauna<\/a>, Birds of Prey Protection Society, Green Balkans<\/a>, \u201cCentral Balkan\u201d National Park Directorate,\u00a0Bulgarian Environmental Partnership Foundation,\u00a0Vrachanski Balkan Nature Park and\u00a0 “Sinite kamani” Natural Park Directorate.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Greece:<\/strong> Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace (SPBT), NECCA, Evros Prefecture, HOS\/BirdLife Greece, Stavroupoli Forest Department, Ipeiros Protected Areas MU -NECCA,  Amvrakikos MU – NECCA, Mesolonghi Lagoon MU – NECCA, Ioannina Forest Department, Thessalia Protected Areas MU – NECCA, ANIMA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serbia:<\/strong> NGO Jadovnik – Oasa netaknute prirode, Prijepolje; SNR Natura, Belgrade-Valjevo<\/p>\n\n\n\n

North Macedonia:<\/strong> Nature Conservation Association – AQUILA<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sources: <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n