Vultures & Bustards Conservation

THE ROLE OF LOCAL COMMUNITIES

Here again, engaging the local communities is crucial to protect the vultures and bustards species. Four traditional hunters, appointed by the Sultan of Zinder, were part of the team and their expertise was used to catch the birds carefully. Indeed, traditional hunters are associated with the City of Zinder's Sultan, from whom they get their permission to hunt. Sahara Conservation has worked closely with the Sultan to explain the emergency facing wildlife and bustards in particular and to raise the fact that traditional hunters are key actors to prevent illegal hunting in Niger.In addition to successfully equipping the birds, critical information about the poachers, their habits and the way they hunt, has been collected during the mission thanks to the knowledge and the collaboration of the traditional hunters. Appropriate anti-poaching missions will be soon conducted by the rangers to tackle this issue.

INVESTIGATION ON THE GROUND

We asked questions to members of the local communities, traditional hunters, but also healers, and visited local markets in search of possible vultures for sale, as we knew they were used in traditional medicine. In addition to this very local use, we knew there were also poachers coming from Nigeria to kill numerous birds for sorcery and black magic ritual needs, something we repeatedly thought of as a an important possible cause for vulture’s decline in these areas of Niger (near Maradi and Zinder). The economy of Niger strongly relies upon its agriculture and livestock. We considered then the use of pesticides and veterinary drugs as a possible threat, since it may also be harmful to vultures. The main known Egyptian Vulture population so far in Niger lives in the Koutous Massif in the region of Zinder. That’s why we conducted most of our interviews in this area. We selected farmers and pastoralists with different profiles to have a representative sample and interviewed them.

DIRECT & INDIRECT OBSERVATION

We started to be active in the Kellé region -the Mont Koutous (highlighted with a yellow spot on the map)- seeking for birds and active nests. Direct and indirect observations were made indeed, and new nests presence recorded, allowing a better understanding of EVs exact distribution in Niger. Finally, from what has been observed in the field at that time of the year, most of the EVs recorded in the Koutous’ region were resident. One of the hosting countries is Niger, where they stay, particularly in the South-East. The areas where EVs can mostly be found are the region of Zinder and Maradi, near Nigeria. We hope that our project achievements will not only increase the knowledge about EVs distribution, but also more generally, will encourage studies and surveys of resident and migratory populations by tagging birds in Europe and Africa, including Niger and track them thanks to satellite/GPS transmitter.

SENSITIZATION

In Niger, vulture persecution and collection for traditional medicine markets are the main reported threats. To address these issues, Sahara Conservation has developed a public awareness campaign with the Nigerien wildlife authorities to raise awareness at the local, regional and national levels in Niger about the decline of vulture populations and their important role as scavengers and providers of ecosystem services.

Our objective is to keep sensitizing the local community about the vulture decline in Niger and Chad and work closely with the traditional hunters to get a better understanding about the factors contributing to the decline in lappet-faced vulture populations in Niger and the neighboring countries, by learning more about traditional hunting practices and trade networks from the local hunters. Sahara Conservation and the Nigerien wildlife authorities will gain a better understanding of the cultural attitudes of those responsible for vulture poaching, the traditional uses and value of vulture parts in the black market, and any local lore about the birds that can be factored into a plan to mitigate their decline.