Priority areas for vulture conservation in the Horn of Africa largely fall outside the protected area network

Abstract

Summary Vulture populations are in severe decline across Africa and prioritization of geographic areas for their conservation is urgently needed. To do so, we compiled three independent datasets on vulture occurrence from road-surveys, GPS-tracking, and citizen science (eBird), and used maximum entropy to build ensemble species distribution models (SDMs). We then identified spatial vulture conservation priorities in Ethiopia, a stronghold for vultures in Africa, while accounting for uncertainty in our predictions. We were able to build robust distribution models for five vulture species across the entirety of Ethiopia, including three Critically Endangered, one Endangered, and one Near Threatened species. We show that priorities occur in the highlands of Ethiopia, which provide particularly important habitat for Bearded Gypaetus barbatus, Hooded Necrosyrtes monachus, Rüppell’s Gyps rüppelli and White-backed Gyps africanus Vultures, as well as the lowlands of north-eastern Ethiopia, which are particularly valuable for the Egyptian Vulture Neophron percnopterus. One-third of the core distribution of the Egyptian Vulture was protected, followed by the White-backed Vulture at one-sixth, and all other species at one-tenth. Overall, only about one-fifth of vulture priority areas were protected. Given that there is limited protection of priority areas and that vultures range widely, we argue that measures of broad spatial and legislative scope will be necessary to address drivers of vulture declines, including poisoning, energy infrastructure, and climate change, while considering the local social context and aiding sustainable development.

Application of GPS occurrence data to understand African white‐backed vulturesGyps africanusspatial home range overlaps

“…Our preliminary results thus reaffirm the critical contribution of protected areas to the conservation of critically endangered African vulture species (Murn et al, 2016 ; Salewski, 2021 ; Xirouchakkis & Mylonas, 2007 ). Our results are, however, contrary to findings from other studies which showed that some vulture species tend to prefer human‐dominated landscapes compared to protected areas, thus posing several conservation challenges to wildlife managers (Buechley et al, 2021 ; Henriques et al, 2018 ; Phipps et al, 2013 ). Such vultures could probably be attracted by sporadic food sources found in human landscapes (Murn & Anderson, 2008 ; Phipps et al, 2013 ).…”

“…Albeit providing key ecological functions, their populations have continued to decline severely due to several threats such as poisoning, habitat loss, shortage of food, collision with infrastructural facilities such as power lines, as well as from persecution (Buechley & Şekercioğlu, 2016 ; Gilbert et al, 2006 ; Margalida & Ogada, 2018 ; Ogada et al, 2016 ; Safford et al, 2019 ; Thorley & Clutton‐Brock, 2017 ). It is in this context that conservation of vultures is now considered a top priority at a global scale (Buechley et al, 2019 , 2021 ; Safford et al, 2019 ). One of the overarching challenges facing efforts to priorities vulture conservation is lack of spatially explicit knowledge regarding the distribution of key overlapping geographic zones and habitats supporting vulture populations in terms of food predictability as well as secure breeding and roosting sites (Buechley et al, 2019 ; Reading et al, 2019 ; Salewski, 2021 ).…”

Declines in scavenging by endangered vultures in the Horn of Africa

“…Meanwhile, detection rates of facultative scavengers, including dogs, The detected decline in vultures feeding at abattoirs in the study is concerning, given that it consisted of white-backed, Rüppell's, and hooded vultures, all 3 of which are globally critically endangered (BirdLife International 2021). These species are experiencing population declines across Africa (Ogada et al 2016) and Ethiopia is regarded as an important stronghold for them, in large part because of the reliable food source that abattoirs provide in the country (Botha et al 2017, Buechley et al 2021. The observed decline in vulture detections in this study cannot definitively be contributed to population declines.…”

“…As wild animals and their respective carcasses become scarcer, vultures increasingly rely on feeding on livestock carcasses and at abattoirs and dump sites (López-López et al 2014, Tauler-Ametlller et al 2019. This is certainly the case in Ethiopia (Hibste and Bekele 2007;Buechley et al 2018Buechley et al , 2021. As the second most populous country in Africa (United Nations 2017), most Ethiopian landscapes are dominated by humans and associated livestock, with livestock outnumbering wildlife even in national parks (Stephens et al 2001).…”

“…Ethiopia supports large populations of vertebrate scavengers (Abay et al 2011;Buechley et al 2019Buechley et al , 2021, and is a stronghold and priority conservation area for 7 highly threatened vulture species, including bearded (Gypaetus barbatus; near threatened), Egyptian (Neophron percnopterus; endangered), hooded (Necrosyrtes monachus; critically endangered), lappet-faced (Torgos tracheliotos; endangered), Rüppell's (Gyps rueppelli; critically endangered), white-backed (G. africanus; critically endangered), and white-headed (Trigonoceps occipitalis; critically endangered) vultures (Botha et al 2017, BirdLife International 2021, Buechley et al 2021. The largest documented African populations of bearded and Egyptian vultures occur in Ethiopia (Arkumarev et al 2014, Botha et al 2017, Buechley et al 2021. Many facultative scavenging species also reside in Ethiopia, including 8 species of corvids (crows and ravens), numerous predatory raptors, which scavenge opportunistically, and resident and introduced mammals, including spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta) and domestic dogs.…”