Last week the Balkan Vulture Anti-Poisoning Workshop took place in the Uvac Special Nature Reserve, Serbia, between the 8th-10th April. The ‘Bright Future for the Black Vulture’ LIFE14 NAT/BG/649 project team along with the Green Balkans Wildlife Breeding and Rehabilitation Center team joined the workshop.
The event brought together conservation organizations, governmental institutions and other stakeholders to share their experience in protecting vultures and fighting illegal poisoning as well as other problems related to local policies and regional differences.
Our colleagues and partners in the ‘Bright Future for the Black Vulture’ project, from the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) and the Uvac Special Nature Reserve management, along with the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia/BirdLife Serbia and Birds of Prey Protection Foundation and Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia had organized the workshop.
The first day was dedicated to presentations and discussions. We heard an overview of the conservation status of vultures on the Balkans, as well as on the threats and mortality data. Our colleagues presented the Balkan Anti-Poisoning Project and the activities implemented within the 6 partnering countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Our team took part in the discussion board which included the national anti-poisoning work groups, involvement of governmental institutions and creating national strategies as well as opportunities for financing. An important subject was the communication between different countries and stakeholders.
As part of sharing expertise five of the major European Union LIFE funded vulture conservation projects presented their work protecting vultures from illegal wildlife poisoning. These include: the LIFE for Kresna Gorge - led by the Fund for Wild Fauna and Flora and running between 2012 and 2016; Egyptian Vulture New LIFE - led by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds; LIFE Re-Vultures - this project led by the Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation and Vultures Back to LIFE – led by Green Balkans and the anti-poisoning activities in the Pannonian region under LIFE Helicon & LIFE Pannon Eagle.
The second day was dedicated to getting practical experience. Representatives from the Spanish authorities shared their experience as well as practices for tackling wildlife poisoning. Our team participated in a practical training course on issues around protocols surrounding collection of samples, toxicological analyses and juridical procedures and persecution.
The last day was left for a field trip to the Uvac river canyon and the vulture feeding station. There was a special training course for the Bulgarian team on the preparation of leg loop harnesses for the GPS transmitters, led by Franziska Loercher from the VCF.
We’d like to say a big thank you to the Vulture Conservation Foundation, as well as to our Serbian hosts for the excellent event!
The Green Balkans’ anti-poisoning activities in Bulgaria are implemented within:
The event brought together conservation organizations, governmental institutions and other stakeholders to share their experience in protecting vultures and fighting illegal poisoning as well as other problems related to local policies and regional differences.
Our colleagues and partners in the ‘Bright Future for the Black Vulture’ project, from the Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) and the Uvac Special Nature Reserve management, along with the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia/BirdLife Serbia and Birds of Prey Protection Foundation and Institute for Nature Conservation of Serbia had organized the workshop.
The first day was dedicated to presentations and discussions. We heard an overview of the conservation status of vultures on the Balkans, as well as on the threats and mortality data. Our colleagues presented the Balkan Anti-Poisoning Project and the activities implemented within the 6 partnering countries – Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Greece, North Macedonia and Serbia.
Our team took part in the discussion board which included the national anti-poisoning work groups, involvement of governmental institutions and creating national strategies as well as opportunities for financing. An important subject was the communication between different countries and stakeholders.
As part of sharing expertise five of the major European Union LIFE funded vulture conservation projects presented their work protecting vultures from illegal wildlife poisoning. These include: the LIFE for Kresna Gorge - led by the Fund for Wild Fauna and Flora and running between 2012 and 2016; Egyptian Vulture New LIFE - led by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds; LIFE Re-Vultures - this project led by the Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation and Vultures Back to LIFE – led by Green Balkans and the anti-poisoning activities in the Pannonian region under LIFE Helicon & LIFE Pannon Eagle.
The second day was dedicated to getting practical experience. Representatives from the Spanish authorities shared their experience as well as practices for tackling wildlife poisoning. Our team participated in a practical training course on issues around protocols surrounding collection of samples, toxicological analyses and juridical procedures and persecution.
The last day was left for a field trip to the Uvac river canyon and the vulture feeding station. There was a special training course for the Bulgarian team on the preparation of leg loop harnesses for the GPS transmitters, led by Franziska Loercher from the VCF.
We’d like to say a big thank you to the Vulture Conservation Foundation, as well as to our Serbian hosts for the excellent event!
The Green Balkans’ anti-poisoning activities in Bulgaria are implemented within:
