Every first Saturday of September, International Vulture Day is celebrated, a day established with the aim of raising awareness of the threats faced by these necrophagous birds and highlighting their ecological importance. This year, the event is commemorated on September 6.

Vultures play an essential role in ecosystems. By feeding on decomposing animal carcasses, they prevent the spread of diseases, slow down the spread of pathogens that could affect wildlife and humans, and reduce the emission of greenhouse gases. In addition, they generate economic and environmental savings, as they replace the need to collect and industrially treat thousands of tonnes of livestock waste every year.

Spain is a key country for their conservation: it is home to most of the European populations of these birds of prey. Specifically, our country is home to 98% of the black vulture, 94% of the griffon vulture, 82% of the Egyptian vulture and 66% of the bearded vulture. In terms of its conservation status, the griffon vulture (fulvus) is listed as of least concern on the Red List of Birds of Spain, while the black vulture (Aegypius monachus) is considered near threatened worldwide by the IUCN and vulnerable in the Spanish Catalogue of Threatened Species. The bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) is listed as near threatened in the global classification, but in Spain it is listed as endangered in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species and as vulnerable in the Red Book of Birds. For its part, the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) is declared threatened worldwide and vulnerable at the national level, with the Canarian subspecies – known as guirre – classified as endangered.

All of them are exposed to multiple threats, such as collisions with power lines and wind turbines, illegal poisoning, lack of food derived from changes in extensive livestock farming or the degradation of their habitats.

In recent years, the Biodiversity Foundation of the Ministry for Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO) has supported a multitude of projects aimed at improving the conservation status of vultures, through habitat restoration actions, rescue and release programmes and the implementation of measures that increase the availability of food and reduce the risks for these species.

Currently, within the framework of the Recovery, Transformation and Resilience Plan (RTRP), funded by the European Union – NextGenerationEU, the BioTramuntana project stands out, led by the Mediterranean Wildlife Foundation together with the General Foundation of the University of Alcalá. This initiative seeks to promote the bioeconomy and biodiversity conservation in the north of the Serra de Tramuntana (Mallorca), promoting land stewardship agreements, the development of sustainable local products and the implementation of specific measures for the black vulture, such as nest monitoring, camera placement or the release of specimens.

In addition, the project brings the life of these birds of prey closer to the public through the live broadcast on the YouTube channel of the Mediterranean Wildlife Foundation, where you can follow the day-to-day life of a pair of black vultures and their chick during the breeding period, an awareness-raising tool that also contributes to scientific study without causing disturbance to birds.

Thanks to this project, which acts on more than 8,000 hectares, the protection of the only stable island nucleus of black vulture in the world is promoted, with about 45 breeding pairs. In addition, it contributes to improving soils, conserving pollinators, guaranteeing quality water and boosting the local economy with sustainable initiatives linked to the territory.