{"id":41037,"date":"2025-11-12T18:13:15","date_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:13:15","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/?p=41037"},"modified":"2025-11-12T18:13:15","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T16:13:15","slug":"nature-conservation-authority-and-biodiversity-conservation-ngos-cooperate-to-protect-the-cinereous-vulture-in-central-portugal-life-aegypius-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/4vultures.org\/pt\/blog\/nature-conservation-authority-and-biodiversity-conservation-ngos-cooperate-to-protect-the-cinereous-vulture-in-central-portugal-life-aegypius-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Nature conservation authority and biodiversity conservation NGOs cooperate to protect the Cinereous Vulture in central Portugal"},"content":{"rendered":"

Within the scope of the projeto LIFE Aegypius Return<\/a> project, the Portuguese Institute for Nature and Forest Conservation (ICNF) and several environmental associations met in Castelo Branco to coordinate the next steps in protecting the breeding colonies of the Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus<\/em>) in Serra da Malcata and Tejo Internacional. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Group
Group photo \u00a9 VCF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Colonies of major importance\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The ICNF Regional Directorate in Central Portugal manages two protected areas that are crucial for the conservation of the Cinereous Vulture in the country: the Serra da Malcata<\/a> Nature Reserve and the Tejo Internacional<\/a> Nature Park. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Serra da Malcata hosts a breeding colony confirmed in 2021 by Rewilding Portugal<\/a>, which has since continued to monitor it, providing essential support to ICNF and the LIFE Aegypius Return project. In 2024<\/a>, this colony recorded 18 nesting pairs and produced 12 fledged juveniles, out of an estimated 48\u201349 nationwide. This year\u2019s results, to be released shortly, indicate a geographic expansion of the colony. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Technical
Technical meeting to monitor the Cinereous Vulture in Serra da Malcata<\/a> \u00a9 VCF\u00a0<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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The Tejo Internacional colony is the largest and oldest in the country. After the extinction of the Cinereous Vulture as a breeder in the 1970s in Portugal, natural recolonisation took place in this protected area in 2010, with the establishment of two breeding pairs<\/a>. In 2024, the colony comprised 61 to 64 breeding pairs (15 to 16 of which already in Spanish territory) and produced 24 to 25 fledglings (4 to 5 in Spain), practically half of all chicks recorded nationwide. Since the recolonisation, the ICNF has had the support of Quercus in monitoring the colony. With the approval of the LIFE Aegypius Return project, since the 2023 breeding season, SPEA<\/a> (Portuguese Society for the Study of Birds) has coordinated detailed monitoring of all breeding parameters, in collaboration with ICNF, Quercus and the Junta de Extremadura (Spain).\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Cinereous
Cinereous Vulture monitoring in the Tejo Internacional \u00a9 VCF <\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

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Cooperative work\u00a0<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Conserving the Cinereous Vulture requires cooperation across several areas, including:  <\/p>\n\n\n\n