EVFAP Workshop

• Home
• Events calendar
• EVFAP Workshop

 

WORKSHOP

for developing a Flyway Action Plan for the Conservation of the Balkan and Central Asian Populations of the Egyptian Vulture

 

 

 

The Egyptian Vulture Flyway Action Planning (EVFAP) International Workshop was held between 5th and 8th of July 2015 in Sofia, Bulgaria. [Links to the Workshop report in EN, FR and RU]

Objectives:

1.  To share knowledge on the status and key threats to migratory Egyptian Vultures at national and regional level;
2. To review the current key national and regional level activities for conservation of the Egyptian Vulture from the Balkans, Central Asia and Caucasian region along the flyway.  To share expertise and experiences (incl. the best practices and case studies) related to addressing key threats to migratory Egyptian Vultures;
3.  Identify and prioritize the urgent conservation actions needed at national and regional level;
4.  Discuss national and regional level mechanisms to ensure FAP network sustainability and delivery of the long-term conservation outcomes;
5.  Discuss funding opportunities for EVFAP in line with the defined priority measures;
6.  Review, agree and sign the FAP Implementation Agreement for the FAP Working Group;
7.  Finalizing and approving the first draft of the EVFAP.

Outcomes:

1.  Shared knowledge on the status and key threats to migratory Egyptian Vultures; shared best practices and case studies related to addressing key threats to migratory Egyptian Vultures; and urgent conservation actions at national and regional level identified and prioritized;

2.  Declaration from the EVFAP workshop attendees, aiming to ensure fundraising for EVFAP, network sustainability and delivery of the conservation outcomes agreed; [PDF]

3.  Preliminary draft of the EVFAP approved; [Links to the draft]

4. Coordinating group set with representatives:

- Nick Williams (CMS Raptors MoU) - Chairman

- Stoyan Nikolov (BSPB / BirdLife Bulgaria), responsible for the Balkans

- Sharif Jbour (BirdLife Middle East), responsible for the Middle East

- Sergey Sklyarenko (ACBK / BirdLife Kazakhstan), responsible for Central Asia

- Paul Kariuki Ndanganga (BirdLife Africa), responsible for Africa
 

Represented countries: a total of 33 countries over the FAP range were presented to the meeting, as follows: Africa: Chad, Djibouti, Egypt, Ethiopia, Niger, Nigeria, Sudan; Balkans: Albania, Bulgaria, FYR of Macedonia, Greece, Turkey; Caucasus region: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Georgia; Central Asia: Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan; Middle East: Iran, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Oman, UAE; Western Europe: France, Italy, Spain, UK, Austria, Germany, Hungary, Belgium, Czech Republic

Participants: about 70 representatives of the NGOs, research institutes and universities, and authorities attended to the meeting.

 

Pictures from the EVFAP Workshop could be found here.

 

 

SHORT OVERVIEW:

 

Openning statements

 

Radostina Galitionova (Senior Expert, National Nature Protection Service Directorate, Ministry of Environment and Waters, Republic of Bulgaria):

On the behalf of the Ministry of Environment and Water I would like to welcome all participants to the workshop. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge to prepare a strategy for the protection and the conservation of the Egyptian Vulture.

We would like also to express our gratitude to our colleagues from BSPB for their great work in organizing this meeting and to the European Commission, to the \"A. Leventis” Foundation and the Memorandum of Migratory Brds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (CMS / Raptors MoU) for their valuable assistance and support. The participation of Bulgaria in the protection the Egyptian vulture contributes to conservation of global biodiversity.

MoEW fully supports the initiative and the efforts to develop an Action plan for conservation of the Balkan, Caucasian and Central Asian populations of Egyptian Vulture on its migration route and wintering sites. Our support is based on the good results obtained by LIFE + project \"Return of the Neophron\" aimed at the preservation of one of the most endangered birds on the planet.

The results that achieved by the project so far are impressive:

- 110 dangerous electricity poles in Bulgaria have been secured. This reduces the risk of electric shock in 7 active breeding areas of the species.

-Through International cooperation, very dangerous electricity line in wintering sites of the Egyptian Vulture in Sudan has been secured.

-During the project 50% of the breeding pairs in Bulgaria and Greece were provided with supplementary food and the nests have been protected every year.

- A Wildlife Crime Identification Handbook has been published.

 

Stoycho Stoychev (Conservation Director, BSPB/BirdLife Bulgaria):

Great concern because Egyptian Vulture was not considered a priority an issue just 15 years ago.  BSPB was then focused on other vultures and eagles. Now the species faces global extinction. While we are fully focused on it now, lots of conservation work has been done, clearly more efforts and better targeting are needed if we are to be effective.  I am optimistic that we can save the EV and this meeting will contribute.  One of the most important outcomes of the meeting will be concrete ideas for actual cooperation work on the ground among the represented participants across the vast range of the species.  Our special thanks to the organizers and donors, especially to the EU LIFE Programme, the A.G. Leventis Foundation and the Raptors MoU.

 

Nick Williams (CMS, CU Raptors MoU) [PDF]:

The CMS Raptors MoU is a non legally binding agreement with recent history of about 6 ½ years. Based and supported by UAE - Abu Dhabi Environment Agency.  Work of MOU – coverage of species and countries and sites – 131 Range states of which  52 signatories.

Birds of prey are in big trouble throughout the world. In 2005 a specially commissioned study showed 50% of species threatened or unfavourable conservation status. Migratory species conservation needs support of all Range States hence CMS and its instruments.The signatory states take commit to apply the precautionary principle as regards populations of birds of prey.

Specifically for this Workshopm the Egyptian Vulture is the most threatened species listed on the MoU. There is an urgent need of an action plan for the flyway. Welcome to the 70 participants from 33 Range States.  This is a great opportunity to draft a plan to save the species in the long term.

 

Presentations

# From research to conservation: challenges to secure the future of the Egyptian Vulture (lessons learned from Spain) - by Prof. Jose Donasar (Donana Biological Station, CSIC) [PDF]

# LIFE  The Return of the Neophron – framework, progress and the need of FAP - by Dr. Stoyan Nikolov (BSPB) [PDF]

# Purpose of the workshop. Introduction to the methodology. Expected outcomes and expected contribution from the participants. - by Boris Barov (BirdLife International) [PDF]

# The Egyptian Vulture: status of its populations - a global review. - by Vladimir Dobrev (BSPB) [PDF]

# Conservation efforts for the Egyptian Vulture in the West Palearctic breeding range - by Jovan Andevski (VCF) [PDF]

# Conservation efforts for the Egyptian Vulture along the flyway and in the non-breeding range - by Elzbieta Kret (WWF Greece) [PDF]

# Egyptian Vulture, traditional knowledge and links to human culture - by Volen Arkumarev (BSPB) [PDF]

# Reasons for the decline in the Egyptian Vulture: What do we know about the threats facing the species? - by Victoria Saravia (HOS) [PDF]

# Stakeholders identification: Who are the stakeholders upon which the conservation of the EV depends? - by Alkis Kafetzis (WWF Greece) [PDF]

# Reasons for the decline in the Egyptian Vulture: What we still don’t know about the species and how does this limit its effective conservation? - by Dr. Stoyan Nikolov (BSPB) [PDF]

# Ex situ conservation of the Egyptian Vulture: What are  perspectives and potential role to support higher productivity of the population? - by Dr. Jose Tavares (VCF) [PDF]

# Population Viability Analysis of some key populations (review of the knowledge). What are they telling us? - by Dr. Metodija Velevski (MMNH) [PDF]

# Addressing poisoning of migratory birds: (Guidelines to prevent the risk of poisoning to migratory birds and their relevance to EV). - by Konstantina Ntemiri (HOS) [PDF]

# Addressing the threats to migratory soaring birds caused by energy infrastructure. Review of the experience and priorities. - by Dr. Alvaro Camina (ACRENASL) [PDF]

# Lessons learned from the Imperial Eagle action plan process: identificaion, analysis and prioritization of the threats. - by Dr. Marton Horvath (MME) [PDF]

# Threats to the Egyptian Vultures: how to analyse and prioritise them? - by Boris Barov (BirdLife International) [PDF]

# SWOT analysis of the existing framework for international coordination of the conservation actions for the EV. - by Nick Williams (Raptors MoU) [PDF]

# Next steps for the EV Flyway action plan. - by Boris Barov (BirdLife International) [PDF]

 

SUPPLEMENTARY PRESENTATIONS

# Dog units: An efficient tool in anti-poison work in the Balkans. - by Elzbieta Kret (WWF Greece) & Dimitris Vavilys (HOS) [PDF]

# Migratory Soaring Birds project. - by Osama Al Nouri (BirdLife International) [PDF]

# Lessons learned from Italy. - by Dr. Massimiliano Di Vittorio (GTRS) [PDF]

# Lessons learned from Israel. - by Ohad Hatzofe (NPA) [PDF]

# Lessons learned from France. - by Marrie Pierre Pueh (authors: Pascal Orabi & Cecile Ponchon, LPO) [PDF]

 

< Back