African Raptors Facing Rapid Population Declines

Blog By: Shubhi Thakur

A new study has revealed that 37 out of 42 African raptor species analyzed have experienced significant population declines of around 88% in the past 40 years. Out of these, 29 species constituting 69% have seen drops over 3 generation lengths that qualify them as globally threatened under IUCN criteria of endangerment.

Endemic Species Most At-Risk

 

The analysis found 6 raptor species endemic or near-endemic to Africa already overshot the minimum threshold of loss of habitat and numbers that signals heightened extinction risk.

 

Underestimating the Conservation Status

 

There is pressing need to reassess the status of over 10 declining yet currently least-concern species which might be more endangered than categorized.

 

Key Drivers of Raptor Population Crashes

 

Habitat destruction, loss of nesting sites and prey base along with poisoning and hunting have accelerator declines, especially in West Africa’s high poverty, corruption and misgovernance contexts.

 

Shrinking Forest Cover and Expanding Farms

 

Study notes annually around 5 million hectares forest cover is lost continent-wide to agriculture which has expanded nearly thrice more in West Africa since 1970s, squeezing raptor capacities.

 

Over-reliance on Protected Areas

 

With only 14% land under Protected Areas, declining birds of prey face intensifying competition and pressures even within reserves as human footprint expands.

 

Other Biological and Environmental Threats

 

The predators also tackle issues like electrocution from infrastructure, vehicle collisions etc. Slow breeding capabilities impedes their recovery too.

 

Risk of Ecosystem Instability

 

Their falling numbers can trigger instability in food chains, disease outbreaks and loss of critical ecological services like scavenging animal carcasses.

The ominous population trends underscore why habitat conservation and community support for these apex but threatened avian hunters is vital before several symbolically and ecologically vital species dwindle into extinction.

 

A New Report of Africa –

 

Bonn, Germany, 4 January 2024 – A new report published today in the journal Nature Ecology & Evolution has found that Africa’s birds of prey may be facing an extinction crisis. According to the report by an international team of researchers, African savanna raptors such as the Rüppell’s Vulture, the Steppe Eagle, and the iconic Secretarybird are showing evidence of widespread and significant population declines and a growing dependence on protected areas across the African continent.

Africa is known to be of exceptional importance for global raptor conservation as it supports high numbers of threatened species. However, according to the report, rapid expansion of the continent’s human population has led to widespread land conversion and habitat degradation which has had a dramatic effect on many raptor populations.

Cumulative human impacts on all birds of prey are being felt across the African continent, but are especially acute in some regions, such as in Sub-Saharan Africa which has lost almost 5 million ha of forest and non-forest natural vegetation per year between 1975 – 2000.

The study, co-led by Dr. Phil Shaw of the University of St. Andrews and Dr Darcy Ogada of The Peregrine Fund is the first multi-regional trend analysis of 42 African raptors species conducted over an extended period. The study is based on trend estimates made across Africa over a ca. 20 – 40 year period and shows declines among nearly 90 per cent of the species examined. It also suggests that more than two-thirds of these species may be exceeding IUCN criteria for species at risk of extinction.

Habitat loss – particularly due to the conversion of natural habitats to farmland and poisoning are considered to be the main threats to birds of prey populations across the African-Eurasian region. According to the authors, many of the studied African raptors are being particularly hit hard by habitat conversion, prey-base depletion, and persecution (from shooting, trapping, and poisoning), driven primarily by human population expansion. Other threats include unintentional poisoning, electrocution and/or collision with energy infrastructure, and the killing of birds of prey for food and belief-based uses.

As the study has highlighted, Protected Areas are crucial for the survival of the birds of prey. The Raptors MOU has recently approved an inventory of all known important sites for raptors in the African-Eurasian region establishing the largest network of sites to be conserved specifically for raptors which was an important step in laying the groundwork for targeted conservation action.

The alarming new population trends for African raptors were also echoed in the first conservation status assessment report of migratory raptors under the CMS Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation of Migratory Birds of Prey in Africa and Eurasia (Raptors MOU), which was presented to countries at the Third Raptors MOU Signatories Meeting held in Dubai, UAE in July this year. The CMS Raptors MOU status report revealed that over 50 per cent of migratory birds of prey in Africa and Eurasia are threatened with extinction.

By becoming a Signatory of the CMS Raptors MOU, countries agree to collectively pursue conservation measures that will ensure that all populations of African-Eurasian migratory birds of prey (including owls) are maintained in, or returned to, a favorable conservation status.

In addition to the agreed Action Plan (Annex 3 of the Raptors MOU), several targeted species-specific action plans have also been developed or endorsed under the MOU. These include the Multi-species Action Plan to Conserver African Eurasian Vultures, the Saker Falcon Global Action Plan (SakerGAP), the International Single Species Action Plan for the Sooty Falcon and the Action Plan for West African Vultures.

Signatory States of the Raptors MOU and CMS Parties are also encouraged to develop national action plans to address these threats and restore the species populations. Examples of such plans include a Biodiversity Management Plan for vulture populations developed by South Africa and a National Raptor Conservation Strategy in Morocco, which is at an advanced stage of development.

Protecting these sites will also contribute to international efforts to reach the 30 by 30 Global Biodiversity Targets agreed by world leaders through the adoption of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.

The CMS Raptors MOU is one of several instruments operating under the Convention of Migratory Species and provides the institutional framework for governments and experts to address the many challenges that birds of prey are facing across the African-Eurasian Flyway, which spans a total of 131 counties. Other relevant CMS instruments include the African-Eurasian Migratory Landbird Action Plan (AEMLAP) and CMS Task Forces such as the Energy Task Force or the Task Force on Illegal Killing, Taking and Trade of Migratory Birds in the Mediterranean (MIKT).

The Coordinating Unit of the CMS Raptors MOU is hosted within the CMS Office – Abu Dhabi by the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi on behalf of the Government of the United Arab Emirates.

The upcoming 14th Conference of the Contracting Parties to CMS (CMS COP14) will review the implementation of the Vulture Multispecies Action Plan and discuss the need to improve its implementation, particularly in Africa. The Action Plan for the Sooty Falcon as well as the Action Plan for West African Vultures will also be presented to CMS Parties at CMS COP14 which is scheduled to take place 12-17 February 2024 in Samarkand, Uzbekistan.