Balkan Egyptian Vulture Population down 80% in Last 30 Years - Experts
Sofia, July 8 (BTA) - In the last 30 years the Egyptian Vulture
population in the Balkans has declined by 80 per cent, Stoyan
Nikolov of the Bulgarian Society for Protection of Birds told
journalists Wednesday. Nikolov heads "The Return of the
Neophron" project and was speaking on the last day of an
international working meeting dedicated to the endangered
species and hosted by Sofia.
There are many challenges because the factors for the
disappearance of the species are complex, Nikolov explained. The
birds, which breed in Bulgaria, have to fly over 5,000 km from
their wintering sites in Africa and have to tackle many dangers
on the way, including windfarms as well as direct shots, not to
mention finding sufficient food in Africa or local customs.
Egyptian vultures have a very important environmental function -
they stop the spreading of disease, the expert said.
His colleague from the Society for Protection of Birds Stoicho
Stoichev added that the trend observed in Bulgaria in the last
15 years is ominous: couples are declining every year and have
reached 24 from the previous 60-70. For the first time in years,
in 2015 Bulgaria registered an increase of the number of
couples to 27. This means that there is hope the species could
be saved, Stoichev said.
The species is declining nearly everywhere and has subsequently
been included in the IUCN Red List.
The experts at the international meeting in Sofia are also
discussing an action plan to preserve the Balkan, Caucasian and
Central Asian population of the bird.
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