LIFE Rhodope Vulture (LIFE23-NAT-BG-LIFE-Rhodope-Vulture/101148254)

 

Restoration of the Cinereous Vulture Population and Trophic Chain in the Bulgarian–Greek Cross-Border Region

 

The LIFE Rhodope Vulture project focuses on the recovery of the iconic Cinereous Vulture (Aegypius monachus) in one of Europe’s most important vulture strongholds—the Rhodope Mountains. On the Balkan Peninsula, the species is currently restricted to a single small breeding colony in Greece, consisting of 32 breeding pairs, and a recently reintroduced population in central Bulgaria, where three pairs successfully fledged chicks in 2023. Despite ongoing conservation efforts, the Greek population continues to suffer from high levels of unnatural mortality, threatening its long-term viability.

 

The project adopts a holistic approach by addressing human-induced threats, improving ecosystem functioning and restoring the trophic chain, while supporting one of nature’s most important scavengers.

 

Project actions will strengthen efforts to combat the illegal use of poisoned baits in Greece, currently the primary factor limiting the recovery of the Cinereous Vulture, unlike in Spain where populations have steadily increased. This will be achieved by integrating anti-poison actions into the daily operations of the State Forest Services and establishing joint patrols involving specialised poison detection dog units, environmental organisations and hunting associations. More broadly, the project seeks to reduce human–wildlife conflicts, which are the underlying cause of poisoned bait use.

 

Significant effort will also be devoted to increasing the natural food base through the reintroduction of deer, the expansion of semi-wild horse populations, and—for the first time in Bulgaria—the implementation of EU legislation allowing supplementary feeding outside designated feeding stations. These measures will benefit vultures while also supporting the environmentally sound management of livestock carcasses by farmers.

 

Additional actions will address other major threats, including lead poisoning and collisions with wind farms. The project also represents an urgent response to the devastating wildfire that destroyed almost the entire breeding habitat of the species in Greece in 2023. One of its key objectives is to establish a new breeding colony in Bulgaria, strengthening the regional recovery of the species and reducing its risk of extinction.

 

Finally, the project will contribute to broader policy development by addressing issues related to wind energy planning, protected area management, and the promotion of nature-friendly farming practices.

 

Project Partners

 

• Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) (Bulgaria)
• Rewilding Rhodopes Foundation (Bulgaria)
• Natural Environment and Climate Change Agency (NECCA – Greece)
• Vulture Conservation Foundation (Netherlands)
• Callisto – Wildlife and Nature Conservation Society (Greece)
• Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace (Greece)
• Ministry of Environment and Energy (Greece)
• GREFA – Grupo de Rehabilitación de la Fauna Autóctona (Spain)
• Gounaris N. – Kontos K. O.E. (Greece)
• International Hellenic University (Greece)
• 2nd Hunting Association of Orestiada (Greece)
• Stavroupoli Hunting Association (Greece)

 

Callisto’s Role

 

Callisto is responsible for the implementation and monitoring of preventive measures against wolf attacks on livestock.

 

Drawing on its extensive expertise, Callisto will ensure that the latest knowledge and best practices are applied to maximise the effectiveness of these measures and tackle one of the principal threats to the Cinereous Vulture and other vulture species in the region—the illegal use of poisoned baits.

 

Callisto will work in close cooperation with the Ministry of Environment and Energy (MEEN), the Society for the Protection of Biodiversity of Thrace (SPBT), NECCA, and BSPB, all of which are implementing this and other project actions related to poison prevention.

 

Callisto Budget

 

Total Eligible | Cost EU Contribution | Own Contribution

€72,203.60    | €54,152.70                     | €18,050.90

 

Co-funded by the European Union and the Green Fund.