Populations of necrophagous species in Spain have benefited during the last decade from the measures put in place for the feeding of these birds. The Spanish regulations on the feeding of necrophagous birds, included in Royal Decree 1632/2011, have contributed to improving the situation of these species in the last decade by facilitating the availability of carrion. This is stated in the latest report on the evaluation of compliance with this standard published by the Ministry for the Ecological Transition and the Demographic Challenge (MITECO).
This report, prepared by the working group on feeding of necrophagous species made up of representatives of MITECO and the autonomous communities and experts, reflects the actions that have been carried out in 2018 and 2019 to improve the availability of food for these species, identified as priorities at European level.
The Spanish regulations on the feeding of necrophagous birds, which are now ten years old, establish a legal framework for the contribution of different types of carrion in fenced feeders authorised by the administrations and allow livestock farms not to collect the carcasses of domestic animals such as sheep or goats in order to facilitate access to food for necrophagous species.
As a result of this regulation, 14 autonomous communities have approved their own plans to delimit protection areas for the feeding of necrophagous species, which today extend over 61% of the national territory. In these areas, at least nine communities have authorised livestock farms to leave animal carcasses, without the obligation to remove them for destruction in processing plants of by-products not intended for human consumption.
In total, there are more than 15,700 livestock farms that carry out this activity, especially in Extremadura, Cantabria, Andalusia, Castilla y León and Navarra. In this way, in 2019 more than 6,200 tons of carrion were generated, almost double what was generated in 2015. This amount represents more than 60% of the food provided to the necrophages by the official regional programs. The other 40% is covered by the more than 3,600 tonnes of carrion collected in the more than 250 fenced feeders in 11 autonomous communities.
Both systems have provided 46.7% of the annual food of the necrophagous species, almost half of their trophic needs. The rest of the carrion consumed by these birds comes from other sources not directly managed by the administrations, such as wild species, other livestock carcasses and anthropogenic sources of food such as garbage dumps.
COLLABORATION WITH THE LIVESTOCK SECTOR
The active participation of the livestock sector has made it possible to contribute carrion in a scenario of mutual benefit at an ecological and economic level.
By feeding on dead and, in some cases, diseased animals, necrophagous species help to limit the spread of pathogens among animals, which favors the health management of livestock. In addition, they prevent the removal of animal carcasses from rural areas and their subsequent treatment in industrial plants, allowing economic savings and a reduction in the level of greenhouse gas emissions.
KEY ROLE IN THE CONSERVATION OF NECROPHAGOUS BIRDS
Spain has an essential role in the conservation of necrophagous species. Specifically, our country concentrates more than 90% of specimens from all over Europe and is the main enclave worldwide for the protection of these species. Among the most common are the griffon vulture, with about 30,000 breeding pairs; the black vulture, with approximately 2,500 pairs; the Egyptian vulture, with a stable population of 1,500 pairs; and the bearded vulture, with about 133 breeding units.
The development of feeding programmes in Spain has contributed to improving the situation of these species, whose census has been increasing in the last ten years and has even allowed the transfer of some specimens (especially black vultures and griffon vultures) to countries such as France, Bulgaria, Italy or Israel for the development of reintroduction programmes.
However, we must continue to work on these official feeding programmes and the fight against the factors that threaten these species, such as the intentional persecution of predatory animals, the illegal use of poisoned baits or death by infrastructures such as power lines or wind turbines.
