Project Vulture – Environment Notes

Vultures, which feed on dead animals, were once the most common birds on the planet, including the Indian subcontinent. Until the 1980s, vultures were very common in India. With India losing more than 95 percent of its vulture population between the 1990s and the mid-2000s, conservation efforts were urgently needed to prevent vultures from becoming extinct. The Government of India launched Project Vulture in 2006 to increase the population of Indian vultures. In this article, we will discuss Project Vulture which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Vultures – Background

• The decline of vulture populations in India was first observed at Rajasthan's Keoladeo Ghana National Park.
• By 2005, the genus Gyps had declined by 97 percent (over a 12-year period) in India.
• Other Asian countries, such as Nepal and Pakistan, have seen similar declines.
• In India, the wild populations of three species, namely the Whitebacked Vulture, the Slender-billed Vulture, and the Long-billed Vulture, have declined dramatically over the last decade.
• The critically endangered species include the red-headed vulture or king vulture, the Slender-billed Vulture, and the Long-billed Vulture.
• Egyptian vulture and White-backed Vulture populations in India have also declined and are now classified as Endangered.
• The drastic decline in population was initially thought to be due to a lack of food (dead livestock) or an unknown viral epidemic disease, but it was later confirmed that the decline in population was caused by the drug diclofenac.

What is Diclofenac Sodium?

• Diclofenac is a nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) that is used to treat pain and inflammation in certain conditions.
• NSAIDs are linked to adverse kidney (renal) failure, which is caused by a decrease in renal prostaglandin synthesis.
• Vultures that are unable to break down the chemical diclofenac suffer from kidney failure when they consume the carcass of animals that have received the drug Diclofenac.
• Visceral gout, a buildup of uric acid within tissues and on the surfaces of internal organs, was found in 85 percent of the dead vultures discovered.
• Death is caused by renal failure, which has been linked to metabolic failure or toxic disease.
• "Neck drooping" - vultures exhibit this behaviour for several weeks before collapsing and falling out of trees, or just before death. It is the only visible behavioural sign that birds are ill.
• In May 2006, the Indian government prohibited the use of diclofenac in veterinary medicine. Unfortunately, the ban did not go far enough, and human diclofenac was used to treat sick cattle.
• One issue is that the human form of diclofenac is much cheaper than alternative drugs like meloxicam, which have been tested for vulture safety.

Meloxicam - An Alternative

• Meloxicam is a second generation NSAID that is rated better than Diclofenac for the treatment of livestock and has a lower risk of side effects.
• It is also approved for human use in over 70 countries.
• Meloxicam is approved for use in veterinary medicine in India, Europe, and the United States.

Significance of Vultures in India

• The scavenging lifestyle that has earned them a bad reputation is, in fact, what makes them so valuable to the environment, nature, and society.
• Vultures that feed on dead animals assist areas in getting rid of carcasses that would otherwise provide foul odours and scenery for a much longer period of time, and are thus known as nature's cleanup crew.
• Vultures also play an important role in the control of wildlife diseases.
• Helps in disposal of dead bodies in accordance with Parsi religious practises.
• Vultures are the primary carrion eaters in India and Africa.

Condition Without Vultures

• Other scavenging species' populations will be thrown off balance.
• It will result in an increase in putrefying carcasses.
• The movement of feral dogs into carcass dumps contributes to the spread of diseases like rabies and anthrax.
• The traditional Parsi practise of burying their dead in 'Towers of Silence' for vultures to feed on will be affected.
• Life will be much more difficult for local hide and bone collectors, who rely on cleaned carcasses to make a living.

Vulture Safety Zones (VSZ)

• The concept of a VSZ is unique to the Asian continent, but similar VSZs exist in Europe and Africa.
• The goal of developing VSZs is to establish targeted awareness activities within a 150-kilometer radius of vulture colonies so that no diclofenac or veterinary toxic drugs are found in cattle carcasses, the primary food source for vultures.
• The term "diclofenac free zones" (DFZ) referred to the complete removal of diclofenac from identified vulture safe zones, which are areas where vulture colonies have been identified.
• The VSZ spans several hundred kilometres, including the Jim Corbett National Park in Uttarakhand, the Dudhwa and Kartarniaghat forest reserves in Uttar Pradesh, and the Indo-Nepal border.
• Nepal has already established VSZs along its borders with India.

Importance of VSZs

• A safe food source that is free of veterinary drugs, poisons, and other agricultural chemicals.
• Extra food near breeding colonies improves breeding success by increasing the survival chances of the young vultures.
• Breeding birds can be provided with additional food, such as bone fragments.
• Contribute to lowering the risk of disease spread.
• A location for scientists to research the biology and ecology of these endangered species.
• A chance to raise public awareness about vulture conservation and funds.
• This is a fantastic opportunity for eco-tourists to see these magnificent birds.

Different Zones under Vulture Safety Zones

• Vulture Safe Zone will be established between Uttarkhand and Nepal, spanning from Corbett to Katriya Ghat, a Tarai belt covering 30,000 square kilometres.
  • This area, which includes marshy grassland, savannas, and forests, is home to the slender-billed vulture and the white-backed vulture.
• Similarly, a belt stretching from Dibrugarh in Assam to North Lakhimpur in Arunachal Pradesh will be protected as a vulture safe zone, home to slender-billed and white-backed vultures.
• The third zone would be in central India, covering the state of Chhattisgarh, which is home to white-backed and long-billed vultures.

Vulture Restaurants

• Vulture Restaurants (VR) are restaurants where Maharashtra and Punjab Forest departments reserve tables exclusively for the unique and rare vultures.
• Vultures, as natural scavengers, have long been harmed by rapid urbanisation and deteriorating climate.
• Their population in the state shrank as man-made activities reduced their food sources. This is where the 'Vulture Restaurants' comes in.
• The first "vulture restaurant" opened in 2015 at the Phansad Wildlife Sanctuary in the Raigad district.
• The success of these restaurants depends on the availability of carcasses.
• The forest department relies on villagers to supply carcasses in exchange for incentives.
• The state forest department's wildlife wing allows the locals to bring their dead pets and livestock as food for vultures.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Vulture Restaurants

Vulture Breeding Centres in India

• In 2005, the vulture research facility in Pinjore, Haryana, was designated as Asia's first Vulture Conservation Breeding Centre.
• India currently has four vulture breeding facilities located in Rani, Guwahati (Assam), Pinjore (Haryana), Buxa (West Bengal), and Bhopal (Madhya Pradesh).
• The Central Zoo Authority (CZA) manages four more centres: Junagarh in Gujarat, Nandankanan in Orissa, Hyderabad in Telangana, and Muta in Ranchi.
• The Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF) and the BNHS have launched a programme to release 30 young vultures from breeding centres to three designated safe zones by 2014.
• Though breeding facilities have been in operation for several years, vulture reproduction takes time.
• It takes at least four to five years for young vultures to learn to fly.
• The projects are costly, but the idea is that if vultures go extinct, there should be some in captivity that can be released.

Measures Taken to Conserve Vultures

• The veterinary drug Diclofenac has been banned by the governments of India and Nepal.
• Meloxicam is being promoted as an effective replacement for vultures and other scavenging birds.
• The Government of India has developed a National Action Plan on Vulture Conservation (2006). The Action Plan outlines strategies and actions for mitigating vulture population declines through ex-situ and in-situ vulture conservation.
• White-backed, Long-billed, and Slender-billed Vultures have been moved from Schedule IV to Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act of 1972.
• Vulture Protection Zones have been created.
• Sites for Vulture Restaurants have been identified and in operation.
• In Panchkula, a 'Vulture Captive Care Facility' has been established.
• State governments have been advised to establish vulture care centres in order to conserve three species of vultures.
• Captive breeding facilities have been established to secure healthy wild birds for breeding in captivity for conservation and future release.
• Regular awareness raising activities are organised for various groups such as veterinarians, pharmacists, school children, government agencies, conservation partners, and local communities.

India’s Role in Conservation of vulture

• In 2004, India introduced a motion in the IUCN for vulture conservation, which was accepted in the form of an IUCN resolution.
• It called on Gyps vulture range countries to take action to prevent all uses of diclofenac in veterinary applications.
• It also called for the establishment of an IUCN South Asian Task Force under the auspices of the IUCN and range countries to develop and implement national vulture recovery plans, including conservation breeding and release.

Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (APVC) in India (2020-2025)

• The Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (APVC) in India, 2020-2025, is a critical requirement for the country's vulture conservation.
• With the first action plan expiring in 2009, it was critical that a new document be created that outlines the vision for vulture conservation in the coming years.
• Based on the recommendations of the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2006, a number of conservation measures have been implemented to prevent the extinction of at least three vulture species: Oriental White-backed, Long-billed, and Slender-billed.
• There are, however, a number of issues impeding vulture conservation in the country that must be addressed as soon as possible.
• The APVC 2020-2025 has identified priority actions and additional action points for vulture conservation than were mentioned in the 2006 action plan.
• The most urgently recommended action is to prevent nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) from poisoning major vulture food, cattle carcasses.

Objectives of APVC

• Preventing the poisoning of cattle carcasses, which are the primary source of food for vultures.
• Conduct vulture safety testing on available molecules of veterinary NSAIDs.
• If a drug is discovered to be toxic to vultures, the DCGI must implement a system that automatically removes it from veterinary use.
• Additional Conservation Breeding Centres are required in the country. There are currently eight Vulture Conservation Breeding Centres located throughout the country.
• Red-headed Vulture and Egyptian Vulture populations have also declined by more than 80% over the years, necessitating the establishment of a conservation breeding programme for these species.
• To conduct a coordinated national vulture count to get a better estimate of the size of the country's vulture populations.
• Enhancing the vulture safe zone network by establishing at least one vulture safe zone in each state and continuing to work on existing vulture safe zone efforts.
• Identifying and gathering information on other emerging threats to vulture conservation be gathered.

Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction (SAVE)

• SAVE is a coalition of like-minded regional and international organisations formed to oversee and coordinate conservation, campaigning, and fundraising efforts to alleviate the plight of South Asia's vultures.
• The Saving Asia's Vultures from Extinction (SAVE) programme announced plans to release up to 25 birds into a 30,000-square-kilometer drug-free "safe zone."
• After witnessing the devastation wrought by a drug on Asian vulture populations, a project hopes to begin releasing captive-bred birds into the wild by 2016.
• Its goal is to use a single programme for saving three critically important species from extinction.
• Bombay Natural History Society, Bird Conservation Nepal, RSPB (UK), National Trust for Nature Conservation (Nepal), International Centre for Birds of Prey (UK), and Zoological Society of London are theSAVE partners.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction (SAVE)

Conclusion

The population of white-backed vultures, once the world's most common large raptor, has declined by more than 99 percent across the Indian subcontinent, owing primarily to the use of diclofenac in veterinary medicine. Vultures that consume diclofenac-treated carcasses develop kidney failure. While the production of veterinary diclofenac was prohibited in 2006, the drug for humans is still on the market.