Periodic Reporting for period 1 - SURVIVALIST (Survival in space and time: Identifying mortality bottlenecks along the annual-cycle of vultures)
Período documentado: 2022-09-01 hasta 2024-08-31
Understanding the extent of animal mortality, the where and when mortality occurs, is paramount to implement effective conservation actions and secure the persistence of animal populations. Unfortunately, so far our understanding of animal survival (which is the inverse of mortality) is very limited to a small fraction of species, and largely biased towards the breeding season of species life-cycle. This lack of knowledge is particularly striking for threatened species, such as most vultures.
SURVIVALIST has the ambitious objective of filling this knowledge gap for the four European vultures. Based on a large collaborative network, SURVIVALIST will collate a uniquely large dataset of high-resolution vulture tracking data. These will be analysed using novel approaches to quantify survival in time across the species annual cycle (e.g. during the breeding and non-breeding season) and life-stages (juvenile, immature, adults; Objective 1). SURVIVALIST also aims to identify the factors (e.g. human density and land-use, presence of protected areas) underpinning vulture mortality (Objective 2). For example, does mortality occurs disproportionately more often outside than inside protected areas? or in highly man-dominated landscapes? Finally, SURVIVALIST aims to identify hotspots of vulture mortality in space (also part of Objective 2), that is, does mortality concentrate in some specific areas compared to others?
The results will provide the evidence-base for guiding the implementation of conservation actions for vultures in Europe. The outcomes will have relevance towards achieving the goals of the European Union Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, Birds Directive, Convention on Migratory Species targeting raptors. Ultimately, as vultures play a key role in keeping the balance of ecosystems (e.g. removing carcasses and preventing the spread of diseases to wildlife and humans), their conservation has relevance towards several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
SURVIVALIST has the ambitious objective of filling this knowledge gap for the four European vultures. Based on a large collaborative network, SURVIVALIST will collate a uniquely large dataset of high-resolution vulture tracking data. These will be analysed using novel approaches to quantify survival in time across the species annual cycle (e.g. during the breeding and non-breeding season) and life-stages (juvenile, immature, adults; Objective 1). SURVIVALIST also aims to identify the factors (e.g. human density and land-use, presence of protected areas) underpinning vulture mortality (Objective 2). For example, does mortality occurs disproportionately more often outside than inside protected areas? or in highly man-dominated landscapes? Finally, SURVIVALIST aims to identify hotspots of vulture mortality in space (also part of Objective 2), that is, does mortality concentrate in some specific areas compared to others?
The results will provide the evidence-base for guiding the implementation of conservation actions for vultures in Europe. The outcomes will have relevance towards achieving the goals of the European Union Biodiversity Strategy for 2030, Birds Directive, Convention on Migratory Species targeting raptors. Ultimately, as vultures play a key role in keeping the balance of ecosystems (e.g. removing carcasses and preventing the spread of diseases to wildlife and humans), their conservation has relevance towards several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.
The work performed so far follows two main directions:
1 - Collating a large amount of individual vulture movement and specific life-history data from across different projects and partners in Europe.
2 - Defining and consolidating the quantitative approach for the follow up modeling.
3 - Organising, harmonising and analysing movement and life-history data for each individual bird.
Achievements so far:
1 - This task (data collation) is now successfully completed, with data from 3 vulture species, amounting to a total of almost 1500 individual birds from across over 20 different projects in Europe (including from West to East Europe and the Middle East).
2 - This task (data collation) is now successfully completed. The modeling approach for analysing movement and survival and integrating the two methods has been defined and structured.
3 - This task is partly completed and ongoing. The data have all been harmonised and organised, and are ready for analyses. Analyses of the movement data have already been completed, and the analyses of the survival will be initiated shortly.
Moreover, a perspective study, highlighting the importance of biologging data for survival modeling of wildlife populations has been started (currently with a raw skeleton structure), and will likely be completed within the coming months.
1 - Collating a large amount of individual vulture movement and specific life-history data from across different projects and partners in Europe.
2 - Defining and consolidating the quantitative approach for the follow up modeling.
3 - Organising, harmonising and analysing movement and life-history data for each individual bird.
Achievements so far:
1 - This task (data collation) is now successfully completed, with data from 3 vulture species, amounting to a total of almost 1500 individual birds from across over 20 different projects in Europe (including from West to East Europe and the Middle East).
2 - This task (data collation) is now successfully completed. The modeling approach for analysing movement and survival and integrating the two methods has been defined and structured.
3 - This task is partly completed and ongoing. The data have all been harmonised and organised, and are ready for analyses. Analyses of the movement data have already been completed, and the analyses of the survival will be initiated shortly.
Moreover, a perspective study, highlighting the importance of biologging data for survival modeling of wildlife populations has been started (currently with a raw skeleton structure), and will likely be completed within the coming months.
No results yet, but a dissemination plan is in place, as the results will be highly relevant towards improving the evidence-based conservation of vultures and for society in general.
Results of the survival modeling have been presented at the European Vulture Conservation Congress in Caceres (Spain, November 2023), which is a large gathering of practitioners and project collaborators working on conservation of vultures, at the policy and at the on-the-ground level.
The results, in a more comprehensive form, have also been presented at the European Congress for Conservation Biology in Bologna (Italy, June 2024).
Results of the survival modeling have been presented at the European Vulture Conservation Congress in Caceres (Spain, November 2023), which is a large gathering of practitioners and project collaborators working on conservation of vultures, at the policy and at the on-the-ground level.
The results, in a more comprehensive form, have also been presented at the European Congress for Conservation Biology in Bologna (Italy, June 2024).