Vote for The Return of the Neophron for the European Natura 2000 Citizens’ Award

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The Egyptian Vulture – a sacred bird with an Indian profile. We've been following his flight for five years, dedicating time, efforts and hope to make it safe.  And we keep going.

Help us to increase the awareness about this  globally threatened species that quietly flies  away from our world. Give your vote for the project designed to protect him: "The Return of the Neophron" for the European Natura 2000 Citizens’ Award by following the link:

http://natura2000award-application.eu/finalist/3520

The Egyptian vulture, the only regular long distance migratory vulture in Europe, was once the source of myths and local folklore in the Balkans and revered as a sacred bird in parts of Africa. But due to lots of various threats like poisoning, direct persecution and nest robbery, disturbance during breading, electrocution by dangerous powerlines, and others, the Egyptian vulture is now on the edge of extinction. The only effective way to save this charismatic species is through multi-national and multi-institutional collaboration.

In 2011, four partners – BSPB from Bulgaria, HOS and WWF from Greece and RSPB from UK joined forces to halt the decline of the Egyptian vulture population in the Balkans. Recognizing the specific requirements of this long-distance migrant, the partners also took steps to broaden their cross-border approach to other countries along the species’ flyway.

Partners invested in efforts to stop the illegal trade of Egyptian vultures and eggs in the Balkans. A total of 178 Custom Officers were trained in Greece and Bulgaria, while international cooperation at the level of INTERPOL and international customs authorities was promoted. As a direct result of these efforts, a renowned poacher was convicted and given a prison sentence in Bulgaria.

Intense capacity building and networking in Bulgaria also helped 1400 farmers to apply for agri-environment payments and thus nearly 100,000 ha of pastures within the Natura 2000 network are now being managed for the benefit of the Egyptian vulture and other wildlife. In addition, networking with public and private electricity transmission companies has resulted in the insulation of over 400 dangerous electricity pylons in both Greece and Bulgaria.

At an international level, the project has succeeded in achieving very fruitful cross- border collaboration. The clearest example is the successful development of the Flyway Action Plan for the Conservation of the Balkan and Central Asian Populations of Egyptian Vulture (EVFAP) which is a key element of the Convention of Migratory Species’ Vulture’s Multi-Species Action Plan. This document is the culmination of over two years of work and collaboration of 26 countries along the flyway of the species and many experts and is expected to be vital for the future of the species.

Another successful example of cross-border cooperation with local institutions (SCF and APLORI) was the discovery of a yet unidentified threat to the Egyptian vulture. In some parts of Africa (Niger, Nigeria), vultures were being killed to use their body parts in traditional medicine. An even more impressive achievement was the decommissioning and replacement of a power line in Sudan, known to have electrocuted hundreds and perhaps thousands of individuals since its construction in the 1950s.

Every single vote is important to us. People's support is the essence of protecting not only the Egyptian vulture but also the nature as a whole. Please sign and forward: http://natura2000award-application.eu/finalist/3520