Sahara Conservation
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February was the start of a new breeding season for vultures in Niger and time for the local SCF team to start monitor these globally threatened birds of prey.
During a joint mission with the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds (BSPB) in the framework of the Egyptian Vulture New LIFE project, our team spent 20 days in the Koutous mountains of southeast Niger monitoring the nests of Egyptian vultures. Seven new territories were identified and a total of 11 Egyptian vulture nests recorded. A breeding trio (composed of 2 males and 1 female according to the observations made) was observed on one of the territories – a particularly rare and interesting fact. Numerous cliffs and ledges in the massif offer favourable habitats for Egyptian vultures and many territories remain to be discovered. The population of Egyptian vultures in this area appears to be much larger larger than initially thought.
Rüppell’s vultures have also been observed nesting on the cliffs of the Koutous. These large vultures, which, according to locals, had disappeared from the area for years, seem to prefer the most isolated areas of the massif. A total of 12 nests were counted, including 7 with young chicks that were generally less than 3 weeks old at the time of the visit in late February.
At the same time, nests in the Gadabéji Biosphere Reserve in the Maradi region of central Niger is probably a refuge for vultures and was also monitored during the same period. Unlike in the Koutous massif, vultures in this area have so far only been observed during the breeding period. Thus, 14 vultures of 4 different species (8 Rüppell’s vultures, 1 lappet-faced vulture, 4 White-headed vultures and 1 White-backed vulture) were recorded. 10 active treetop nests, mainly in Balanites or Sclerocarya trees, were recorded. In two of them, Rüppell’s vultures were observed incubating.
Upcoming missions will allow us to collect more information on the breeding populations of vultures in Niger so stay tuned!
In mid-January, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi and the Government of Chad, with implementing partner the Sahara Conservation Fund, released 15 addax into central Chad. These addax were the first of their species to roam this part of Chad in more than 40 years. Shortly after release, the addax split into several groups. First, a solitary female separated from the 14 other animals, circling back to their release site. This addax has moved over 650 km in the weeks since release. By contrast, most (>70%) addax have moved at least 700 km over the same period.
Today, the reintroduced addax are in four different social groups. Eleven animals form the largest group, which has remained fairly settled some 20 km to the southwest and southeast of their release site. This group has also returned to the release site multiple times. The solitary, ‘close-to-home’ female remains alone, as does another solitary female that has roamed much more broadly, covering more than 950 km. Finally, a third pair of females has broken away, traveling west from their release site by roughly 30km. These addax have moved less than 600 km to date. They remain separated from the others.
These movements broadly echo the first release of oryx into the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve in 2016. The majority of oryx remained together, but several females split off, moving great distances across the landscape for the first months after release. With daytime temperatures in Chad already into the 40s°C, the team will continue to closely watch the addax to see how they cope.
Katherine Mertes
In one of the most ambitious and challenging missions it has ever undertaken, the Sahara Conservation Fund led an international team in the safe and successful capture and translocation of three Critically Endangered dama gazelles from western Chad to holding facilities in the centre of the country.
The operation, which took place in January with strong support from the Chadian authorities, was carried out using ground, light aircraft and helicopter support. The team carrying out this vitally important initiative was made up from staff of Chad’s Wildlife Service, the Environment Agency Abu Dhabi, the Zoological Society of London, Fossil Rim Wildlife Center, the Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, Gulf Breeze Zoo, and Noé Conservation. Capturing individuals from the Manga population was also the highest priority under the Dama Gazelle Conservation Strategy 2019-2028 (Al Ain Zoo, IUCN/SSC ASG & RZSS, 2019). SCF is extremely grateful also to the Fondation Segré, Rewild, and the Zoological Society of London for their support.
Veterinarians, Charlotte Moueix (DVM, MSc.) and Julie Swenson (DVM, Dipl. ACZM), and handling team Adam Eyres (Fossil Rim Wildlife Center), Justin Chuven and Ricardo Pusey (Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi), played a determining role in capturing the gazelles by darting them from the helicopter and then assuring their safety during transport by plane, helicopter, and finally moving them to their new home’s fence in the Ouadi Rimé-Ouadi Achim Game Reserve.
The tiny western Chad population of dama gazelles, thought to number less than twenty, is undoubtedly the most at risk of extinction from poaching and habitat loss. Saving animals from this genetically rich group is seen as a major priority in strategies to improve the species’ status. Since all the gazelles initially captured were females, a fine male from the central Chad population was also darted and brought into captivity to form a small breeding group.
In thanking all its partners, SCF also extends its gratitude to SVS-Tchad, Mission Aviation Fellowship and Tropic Air Kenya for the pilots and logistical support without which this mission would not have been possible.
The Sahara Conservation Fund, in collaboration with the non-profits ESAFRO and L’Afrique à Cœur, participates in supporting local populations within the Aïr and Ténéré National Natural Reserve through health missions. Health- and dental-care missions have been carried out in the towns of Timia and Iferouane with products and dental materials donated by all three organizations.
From September 1 to 8, 2019 a joint Environment and Health Mission traveled to villages and campsites in the area around Iferouane and Timia.
The dental-care mission in Aïr – which was led by Dr. Rabo, head of the stomatology department at Zinder National Hospital, and Dr. Mossi, dental-surgeon from Agadez Hospital – made it possible for 260 patients in the Timia and Tin-Tellous zones of the Aïr Mountains to be examined and treated for free.
Alongside the care provided, ESAFRO raised awareness about hygiene issues and provided key health-education recommendations. The conclusion was that some of the advice provided during earlier missions had been followed, in terms of both oral hygiene and of attention to children’s health.
Because it is also the rainy season, many people drink pond water during the current winter period. For that reason, ESAFRO focused in particular on raising awareness about the importance of disinfecting drinking water.
This mission thus made it possible not only to provide hands-on care, but also to reinforce health-education messages that had been delivered to the region’s inhabitants over the past two years, as well as to evaluate the impact of those educational and awareness-raising actions.
Overall, by the end of the joint mission, over 300 people had received free care. These activities are still extremely important for reinforcing relations with the local population, which is also key to the activities related to wildlife and habitat conservation within that zone.
Mount Takoulkouzet is located in the Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve (ATNNR). The reserve shelters several emblematic wildlife species including the dama gazelle (Nanger dama), which is one of the most endangered antelopes on the planet.
Since 2017, a project has been funded by the African World Heritage Fund (AWHF) and the NGO Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) to support efforts in the region to remove the Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve (ATNNR) from the list of World Heritage Sites in danger. The ATNNR has been on the list for more than two decades.
In an effort to conserve the dama gazelle, since 2017, SCF has been working to improve knowledge on the distribution of the dama gazelle’s population in this area through the use of camera traps.
In September 2019, the SCF Niger team carried out a walking mission to Mount Takoulkouzet, accompanied by the conservator and a community worker (guide). This mission took place from August 30 to September 12, 2019, in close collaboration with the Direction de la Conservation de la Faune, de la chasse, des Parcs at Réserves DFC/PR. The main objectives of this field mission were the following:
- To collect data from camera traps installed on Mount Takoloukouzet;
- To move camera traps to other areas;
- Carry out ecological monitoring of the species of wildlife encountered;
- Meet the second community worker recruited for the project.
During this mission, we directly observed 4 dama gazelles and identified 9 individuals through indirect observation. Moreover, we collected dama gazelle feces.
It should also be noted that we identified 11 dorcas gazelles during this walking mission through 5 observations. The average size of each group was 2 individuals.
The search for gold by many individuals and the installation of gold processing sites in the Aïr and Ténéré National Nature Reserve on Mount Takoloukouzet constitute a potential danger for wildlife in general and for the dama gazelle in particular. Although this activity was observed in and around Mount Takoulkouzet, we found no cases of poaching during this mission.
I knew before accepting the position that succeeding John Newby as the CEO of the Sahara Conservation Fund (SCF) would involve filling some very large shoes. This was not a decision I took lightly. I had previously met John 25 years ago when I was just starting out in conservation, working as an intern at IUCN in Gland, Switzerland. In the intervening decades we have both been engaged in conservation efforts, largely in Africa.
My path to this position included undertaking and improving the methods of analysing aerial sample counts of protected areas, assessing motivations behind community conservation and ecotourism, successfully reintroducing a group of 10 juvenile western lowland gorillas – all orphans from the bushmeat trade – back into the wild, environmental education, and ecological monitoring. Over the years I heard mention of John’s work across Africa, always in positive terms.
Having the opportunity, now, to work alongside John, and gradually be introduced to his vast network in the Sahelo-Saharan landscape, the captive breeding community, and conservation arena is a significant responsibility. As is taking the helm of SCF, an organization that John built from the ground up. In time I hope to develop the organization to fulfil a greater role in the conservation of threatened desert species, landscapes, and arid land ecosystems. This is needed more than ever, as new threats emerge in the region, adding to the already complex list of causes of wildlife population decline.
Achieving sound conservation across the Sahelo-Saharan region cannot be accomplished alone. SCF’s work receives unparalleled support from the Ministère de l’Environnement, de l’Eau et de la Pêche in Chad and Ministère de l’Environnement, de la Salubrité Urbaine et du Développement Durable in Niger. SCF hopes to build on existing and sound partnerships as well as develop new relations with organizations that are aligned with SCF’s mission. Fortunately, the organization has very solid foundations, a strong and dynamic board of trustees, and sound technical staff on the ground and in the Paris office.
I just have one question. I wonder, what size John’s shoes are?
The Egyptian Vulture is facing an important decline worldwide, and the Balkans have not been spared: from the hundreds of pairs historically present in the peninsula, about 70 pairs only are remaining, the population being victim of a 7% decline yearly for the past 30 years.
This rapid decline is hard to prevent as it is due to a complex combination of factors. Threats are multiple and differ from one region to another, putting pressure on the vultures on their breeding ground as well as along their migration routes.
Within the framework of the Egyptian Vulture NEW LIFE project, SCF is investigating the main threats vultures are facing on their wintering grounds, mainly in Niger, and particularly mortality from electrocution, accidental poisoning through the use of veterinary medicine for cattle or agricultural products (mainly Diclofenac) known to be fatal for vultures when feeding on contaminated carcasses, the or along the same line, the use of poisons, mainly strychnine, known for its high toxicity and used to control wild carnivores, or direct killing by poachers aiming at selling vulture parts for magical (or belief based) uses.
For all these issues the team is investigating in the field as well as among administrations so that information can be gathered that should enable identification of the priority level of each threat and so prioritize our actions.
As first results, even though the severity degree for every threat cannot be estimated with exactitude, poaching was found to be acute in the region, possibly the most important threat. Indeed, cases had already been registered (cf. Paschalis case ) and the practice of this illegal activity has been confirmed by locals during interviews.
As for the other threats listed above, they seem unlikely to be responsible for decimating large numbers of birds. Indeed, the country has only few electric infrastructures, mainly concentrated around cities, minimizing, or even excluding EV electrocution possibilities. As for poisoning, more investigation is still needed but as far as we know no EV cadavers, evidence of an accidental death, have been found, relegating such threats to a second level.
Also, based on the previous results and simultaneously with further investigation and follow-up activities, preventive work will be conducted with the view to raise awareness among local communities. Their understanding and support is crucial to the long-term success of such conservation endeavour.