French situation for Black Vulture 27 th February 2014
Black vulture reintroduction's projects in France - Global situation 27th February 2014 2
Historical distribution of Black Vulture? Spain 1960 : 200 pairs (Bernis 1966) Extinct in the 19th century?? Extinct in the middle of the 20th century? Extinct in the middle of the 20th century 27th February 2014 3
Actual situation of Black Vulture in Western Palearctique 17 couples 11 p. 27 pairs 18 20 p. 2400 p.?? 50-100 p. 27th February 2014 4
Situation in France 50 years of Vultures conservation programmes Western Pyrenees Grands Causses Jonte : 1981-1986 Navacelles 1993-1998 native population Southern Alps Vercors 1999-2007 1996-2001 Verdon 1999-2004 27th February 2014 5
Situation in France Reintroduction of Black vulture 2004 6 p. 25 to 30 ind. Grands Causses Jonte : 1992 21 p 100 ind. Verdon 2005 1 p. 8 to 10 ind. 27th February 2014 6
27th February 2014 7
Verdon Canyon 27th February 2014 8
Grands Causses 27th February 2014 9
Black Vulture conservation in France The FIR (now LPO) and the BVCF have started the reintroduction programmes in France in Grands Causses in 1992. A first National Restoration Plan was settled in 2004 with the French authorities for 5 years. Beginning of the releases in the Alps. A new National Action Plan (PNA) for the Black vulture was established in 2011 for 5 years. 27th February 2014 11
Black Vulture conservation in France This PNA fixed 5 main goals : 1. Preservation of nesting sites and habitats 2. Reduction of human threats 3. Maintain and improve food resources and availability 4. Improve scientific knowledge, communication and international partnership 5. Extension of the Black vulture repartition and populations links 27th February 2014 12
Objective 1 Preservation of nesting sites and habitats 27th February 2014 13
Objective 1 Preservation of nesting sites and habitats Survey of nesting sites Record of disturbances Development of conventions with local stakeholders: Foresters, outdoor sports, army, hunters, farmers, photographers 27th February 2014 14
Main disturbance threats 27th February 2014 15
Objective 2 Reduce human threats Poisoning : a new preoccupation in France Power lines : heterogeneous situation Shooting 27th February 2014 16
Poisoning and intoxication Carbofuran is the main cause Wolf s return worries farmers Need for international cooperation 27th February 2014 17
Threats due to power transport and production 27th February 2014 18
Objective 3 Improve food availability First, you type «Grands Causses», then «satellite overview», then choose «sheep» and at last, you click on «lately deceased» 27th February 2014 19
27th February 2014 Objective 3 Improve food availability The «placettes» (farmer s feeding stations) 86 placettes (9V, 5B, 81 C) Use of camera traps The heavy feeding stations (HFP) 4 HFP, 198 farmers collected (76V, 100B, 22C + Vercors) ~ 5800 collected carrions Allows us to capture, read ring codes, communicate and monitor Study on the rate of wild fauna s carrions in black vulture food range 20
Exemple: the Grands Causses Heavy feeding stations Light feeding stations 27th February 2014 21
How «placettes» work? This allows farmers to use Vulture to get rid of farm carrions Farmer has an official authorization He manages his time No more than 300 kg at the same time Taxes reduction of 60 % Record on a file Clean the placette by burning bones and Reduce sanitary risks Reduce CO 2 emissions and transport costs 27th February 2014 22
Placette s technical description A station of minimum 1000 m 2 (30 m x 30 m) Dominant and open position Good aerologie A fence (grid of 90 cm high mini ) A mean to attach carrions The farmer build the «placette» 27th February 2014 23
Draft of a placette 27th February 2014 24
A «placette» Photo : Olivier Duriez 27th February 2014 25
A «placette» Photo : Olivier Duriez 27th February 2014 26
A working «placette» Photo : Olivier Duriez 27th February 2014 27
Record of placette 27th February 2014 28
Objective 4 Monitor the populations The most important action of the Plan 27 reproducing pairs in 2013 : (Verdon 1, 5, Grands Causses 21) First reproduction in Verdon! 18 young were ringed (genetic samples) and 16 fledged Global reproduction success rate : 59,25 % 60 % Verdon 100 % Grands Causses 57 % 27th February 2014 29
Objective 4 Monitor the populations 27th February 2014 30
Objective 4 Monitor the populations Evolution des paramètres de reproduction pour la population française de vautours moines (Causses, Verdon & ) 36 34 32 30 28 26 24 22 20 18 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 couples territoriaux couples reproducteurs naissances jeunes produits Linear (couples territoriaux) Linear (jeunes produits) 1996 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 2013 27th February 2014 31
Objective 4 Ringing in the nest 27th February 2014 32
Objective 4 Monitor the populations 27th February 2014 33
Objective 4 Improve knowledge Record of ring codes observation Exogenous birds, erratisme Participative observations 27th February 2014 34
Objective 4 Improve knowledge Historical partnership with scientits since the 80 s with : Museum National d Histoire Naturelle (MNHN) Centre National de Recherche Scientifique (CNRS) For statistics, monitoring analysis, central data base, GPS project, dynamics of populations... Survival rate +/- 95% CI 1.0 0.9 0.8 0.7 0.6 0.5 0.4 Model constant 200 Model nb fledglings Model nb fledglings / feeding sites nb feeding sites 150 100 50 Number of feeding sites 0.3 0 27th February 2014 1985 1990 1995 2000 2005 2010 35
Objective 4 Development of new programs Building artificial nests 27th February 2014 36
Objective 4 Development of new programs Project of GPS monitoring A young Black vulture was equipped in 2011 To monitor the released birds Food range study Started in Grands Causses in 2010 and extended in 2011 in A poursuivre en Sanglie 2014 site/espèce Ovin* Caprin Veau Lapin Lièvre r Mouflon Renard Cheval Genette Pintade / Gallina cé Reptile Merle Pelote végétal e 57% 10% 4% 2,80% 2,80% 1,30% 1,30% 13% 1,30% 1,30% 2,80% 1,30% 1,30% 27th February 2014 37
Objective 4 Development of new programs 27th February 2014 38
Objective 4 Communication Communication tools Bulletin «Vautours info» Poster Film () Web site PNA Annual meeting of french «Vulture group» 27th February 2014 39
Objective 4 Communication 27th February 2014 40
Objective 4 Cooperate with international programs Share observation and ring datas Meeting with other programs in Croatia, Portugal, Italy, Spain Today s meeting!! 27th February 2014 41
Black vulture reintroduction's projects in France - Current developments and requirements for the future 27th February 2014 42
Objective 5 Extension of the Black vulture repartition and populations links Main objectives Participate to the reconstitution of the historic range of the 4 Vultures Develop exchanges between populations Releasing at least 50 individuals in each sites ( & Verdon) Finalise these two ongoing programs as soon as possible 27th February 2014 43
Objective 4 Extension of the Black vulture repartition and populations links Cage technique: Rehabilitation Centers (Spain) Hacking technique: Birds born in captivity (Breeding Centers, European Zoos ) Black Vultures releasing technique 27th February 2014 44
Hacking place in the 27th February 2014 45
Objective 4 Extension of the Black vulture repartition and populations links : 0 released birds in 2013 Total of 36 released birds on that site (4 in aviaries) Verdon : 2 released birds in 2013 Total of 23 released birds on that site (3 in aviaries and 1 to be collected) GPS transmitters project 27th February 2014 46
2004 2013 = 66 BV for Alpine projects Zoos = 21 Rehabilitation centers = 45 27th February 2014 47
2005 2013 26 BV for Verdon program 15 from Spanish rehabilitation centers 10 from zoos 1 from rehabilitation center of Grands Causses 27th February 2014 48
2004 2013 40 BV for program 29 from Spanish rehabilitation centers 10 from zoos 1 from French rehabilitation center 27th February 2014 49
Evolution of the releases in Verdon and 27th February 2014 50
Various origin for the 59 BV observed in the Alps in 2013 27th February 2014 51
Exchanges between France and Spain 27th February 2014 52
Alpine Population size in 2014 : +/- 40 individuals Verdon : 8 to 10 in Verdon : 25 to 30 in 27th February 2014 53
Requirements to continue the releases The programs need to be finalised. It s necessary to continue the releases to succeed! How many birds are needed? a minimum of 24 in Verdon 10 in Ideally, we would be interested to collect for release this amount of bird within 3 years However, for Verdon we would like to wait for the settlement of at least 4 to 5 reproducing pairs before we stop the releases... 27th February 2014 54
Black vulture reintroduction's projects in France - Potential new projects 27th February 2014 55
Potential new projects Possible project in Vercors Not wished for the moment Too close to? Possible project between Grands Causses and Catalonia LPO Aude could be interested if the European partners identify this need... Conclusion : no other solid projects actually Alpine projects are the actual priority 27th February 2014 56
Thanks to all our European partners... Spanish ministry of Agriculture and Environment (MAGRAMA) Autonomous communities (Extremadura, Andalucía, Cantabria...) Spanish rehabilitation centres European zoos Vulture Conservation Foundation BVCF... 27th February 2014 57
27th February 2014 58 Thank you for your attention