The status of griffon vultures in the Apennine Where are we and where should we go? Luciano Sammarone, Marco Panella, Mario Posillico & Giancarlo Opramolla Feat. guys from Riserva Naturale Monte Velino Reparto Carabinieri Biodiversità di Castel di Sangro
Essential contributions to the project by SPANISH GOVERNMENT Mario Spinetti Elzbieta Mielczarek Giovanni Potena Stefano Allavena Fulvio Genero Enrico Pompei Tiziana Altea Mario Marcelli Nazzareno D Agostino Francesco Angelini Antonello Pascazi Rosario Bartolo Vincenzo Cofini Samuele Spacca Rosita Giuliani Elena Di Filippo Mauro Salvatore Fabio Di Lorenzo Annino Petrella Andrea Mancinelli Maurizio Di Marco Rita Lorenzini e coll. Ettore Randi & coll. Paola Morini Augusto De Sanctis and SOA guys Sefora Inzaghi Eliseo Strinella Rosario Balestrieri & ARDEA guys And many, many others
What about the griffon vulture in Italy? Before restockings & reintroductions took place Extinct in Sicily around the end of 60s (poison) Always present in Sardinia (troubles with poisoning) Summering in Eastern Alps (Friuli Venezia Giulia)
What about the griffon vulture in Italy? 3 1 After intensive release of vultures (since early 90 s) 1: restocking 1 2 2 2 2: reintroduction 3: summering
What about «numbers»? (2015) Critical risk
The reintroduction in Abruzzo (Apennines) WHY?
The reintroduction in Abruzzo Rationally there would have been several good reasons to do it or not! Uncertainty about the presence of a previous self-sustaining population (last records in XVI century) Priority of the reintroduction vs. limited funding available for the conservation of threatened wildlife demanding huge support Unknown extinction drivers and subsequent inability to remove them
The reintroduction in Abruzzo Whatever the theory We have to deal with vultures now!
The reintroduction in Abruzzo But, how to deal with that? 1993-2008 2009 - onward Releasing vultures, (heavily) feeding them, monitoring reproduction, ecc Questions arose about how to go further on!
The management of vultures What s about our population? Do they find enough food in the wild? Is supplementary feeding playing a significant a role in supporting this population? What threats undermine it? AND
The management of vultures Does it was a successful reintroduction?
What s about our population? Emigration and immigration? Age classes? Genetic variability? Sex? Concentration of heavy metals? 51 capture attempts (2010-2017) 19 successful captures (37%) 307 vultures (192 individuals) 16.6 birds/capture (1-49) Capture & mark vultures
Do they have enough food in the wild? From 41 GPS tagged vultures (2010-2017) Surveys of > 500 fix clusters On average we found carcasses in ca. 70% of surveys 1.3 carcasses/survey
Do they have enough food in the wild? What do they eat more? Taxon N % CATTLE 113 39.1 EQUIDS 124 42.9 SHEEP/GOATS 42 14.5 RED-DEER 5 1.7 WILD BOAR 4 1.4 DOG 1 0.3 TOTAL 289
Do they have enough food in the wild? Making predictions on feeding rate: how often vultures feed upon carcasses? Assessing where they find food! The Regional administration banned lead ammunitions (wild boar hunting) in selected municipalities
Do they have enough food in the wild? But it could be hard to predict food intake!!!
Is the feeding point playing a significant a role in supporting vultures in Abruzzo?
Is the feeding point playing a significant a role in supporting vultures in Abruzzo? How individual vulture use the feeding point? Recording marked individuals at the feeding place! 2010: camera-trap monitoring 2014: color ringing and wide based individual indentification
Mortality in the Appennines 1994-2016: 92 reported vultures 4,1/anno
Mortality in the Appennines by causes Post mortem fir 87% of recovered dead vultures (N=80) 33% Undetermined causes 52% Poison MAN = 97% 81% direct 16% indirect
Mortality in the Appennines, by sex and age Sex ratio 1.63:1 (N= 158) (c 2 =9,139, p=0,003)
How far do they range?
How far do theyrange? July 2015 July 2014 April 2016
From where they come from? October 2007 May-July 2008 May 2007 October 2010 February 2011 July 2009
What threats undermine vultures? Human caused mortality Missing knowledge unknown impact of lead & NASAIDs survival standardization (e.g. of monitoring procedures) Absence of a nation-wide conservation plan for vultures
MERCI! GRAZIE! ISPRA ISTITUTO ABRUZZESE AREE PROTETTE