The Gypaetus Monachus project for the recovery of the black vulture (Aegypius monachus) and the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) in historical distribution areas has been completed, improving the settlement and breeding of these species in the Sierra de la Demanada and the Pyrenees.

GREFA (Group for the Rehabilitation of Native Fauna and its Habitat) has completed the ‘Gypaetus Monachus’ project for the recovery of the black vulture (Aegypius monachus) and the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) in historical distribution areas. This initiative has had the support of the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition within the framework of its 2018 call for grants.

The objective has been the consolidation of a colony of black vultures in the Pyrenees and the settlement of black vultures released in the Sierra de la Demanda. With the execution of this project and previous ones, GREFA has managed to increase the colony formed in the Pyrenees to more than 60 settled specimens, and 20 pairs that have produced, in the 2018 breeding season, six chicks flew. In the Sierra de la Demanda the formation of 11 pairs has been confirmed. The tagging of 24 black vultures has been carried out, which have been released through acclimatization and hacking; for the control of those born in freedom, a GPS transmitter has been implanted. All this information collected will provide a source of knowledge in the comparative study of the dispersive and behavioural patterns of the species, as well as being a key tool in the detection of potential threats.