The Accipiter - Conservation June 2005

Conservation - June 2005

These important occasional special features will be news reports from our conservation projects both in the UK and internationally.

This month, we look at the background to the Trust's involvement in the international efforts to address the catastrophic decline in Asian Gyps vultures.

Asian Vulture Conservation Project - Background

The catastrophic decline of several species of Asian vulture over the last 15 years has been a major cause for concern. At least three species have been affected, with recorded population declines of up to 97%. Once extremely abundant, the Oriental White-backed Vulture Gyps bengalensis, the Slender-Billed Vulture Gyps tenuirostris and the Indian Vulture Gyps indicus are now all listed as Critically Endangered by the World Conservation Union. This is the highest category of endangerment.

The Trust has been involved with the Oriental White-backed Vulture for the last eight years, and currently holds the largest captive population of the species outside the sub-continental region. The Trust coordinates the European breeding programme for the species.

Captive management of critically endangered species in south Asia is relatively undeveloped. As a result, several foreign organisations (mainly non-government organisations) have been involved in developing conservation strategies and programmes for vultures in the region. Although active field research has taken place in India, Pakistan and Nepal, to date it has only been in India that captive management facilities have been developed. Financial support and expertise for these Indian facilities has come from the RSPB, the Institute of Zoology (Zoological Society of London), the National Birds of Prey Centre and the Bombay Natural History Society.

Despite the existence of numerous zoos in the region, cooperation between them is limited. The result has been the formation of the SAZARC - South Asian Zoological Association for Regional Cooperation - an organisation that aims to coordinate effective conservation and education efforts across zoos.

In 2003, the Trust supported the annual conference of the SAZARC by sponsoring the attendance of the Conservation Biologist from WWF-Pakistan, Uzma Khan, who also works at Lahore Zoo. Subsequently, in 2004, Ms Khan visited the Trust to meet with the Conservation Coordinator, Campbell Murn, and also to see the facilities at the Trust for Oriental White-backed Vultures. Ms Khan was very interested in the Trust, and suggested at the time that there could be a potential collaboration between WWF-Pakistan and the Trust, aimed at vulture conservation in Pakistan.

A project proposal for the conservation and restoration of vultures in Pakistan was developed by WWF-Pakistan, and the Trust was formally invited to assist with technical expertise and the training of relevant Pakistani professionals that were working on the project. This was a tremendous opportunity for the Trust to extend its conservation activities into the country of origin for one of its key conservation species. It was proposed that the Trust send two people to Pakistan to run training courses and assist with the development of captive management facilities.

The first person to visit the project was our conservation co-ordinator Campbell Murn in April of this year. This represented a major opportunity for Trust staff to become involved with one of the most significant conservation efforts in the world today. Because of his close association with the project to date, his background in white-backed vulture research, his area of expertise, and the fact that his continued involvement has been sought by WWF-Pakistan, his association with the project will be an important element of success. A second member of staff from the Trust, will travel to Pakistan with Campbell later in the year to assist with the second stage of the project. Currently Campbell is preparing a report on his visit to be presented to the Trustees, details of which will be printed on this page at a later date.

Additionally, the Trust has again been approached to support the SAZARC conference in 2005. This will be held in Lahore, and the suggested delegate requiring support is the Director of Punjab Wildlife (who is also President of the SAZARC), who is extremely relevant to wildlife conservation in Pakistan.