Understanding the movement of threatened species is important if we are to optimize management and conservation actions. Here, we describe the age and sex specific spatial and temporal ranging patterns of 19 bearded vultures Gypaetus barbatus tracked with GPS technology. Our findings suggest that spatial asymmetries are a consequence of breeding status and age-classes. Territorial individuals exploited home ranges of about 50 km2, while non-territorial birds used areas of around 10 000 km2 (with no seasonal differences). Mean daily movements differed between territorial (23.8 km) and non-territorial birds (46.1 km), and differences were also found between sexes in non-territorial birds. Daily maximum distances travelled per day also differed between territorial (8.2 km) and non-territorial individuals (26.5 km). Territorial females moved greater distances (12 km) than males (6.6 km). Taking into account high-use core areas (K20), Supplementary Feeding Sites (SFS) do not seem to play an important role in the use of space by bearded vultures. For non-territorial and territorial individuals, 54% and 46% of their home ranges (K90), respectively, were outside protected areas. Our findings will help develop guidelines for establishing priority areas based on spatial use, and also optimize management and conservation actions for this threatened species. ; A.M. was supported by a Ramón y Cajal research contract by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (RYC-2012-11867). J.M.P.G. was supported by a Juan de la Cierva research contract by the Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness (FJCI-2015-25632). This study was supported by MAGRAMA, Generalitat de Catalunya, Government of Navarra and the project CGL2015-66966-C2-2-R. ; Peer reviewed
We are very grateful to all the SFS owners, managers, and visitors surveyed for their time and interest in participating in this study. D Garcia (Generalitat of Catalunya) , M Alcantara, JM MartinezGonzalez,J Ruicio and JA Sese (Government of Aragon) , A Llamas and M Lopez (Government of Navarra) , M Razin (LPO) , P Oliva (UdL) , the forestry rangers of Generalitat of Catalunya and Government of Aragon, Tremp and Laspuna city councils, the institutions Estacio Biol`ogica del Pallars Juss`a, Fundacio CatalunyaLaPedreraAube`rria, L'Altre Pallars SL, Associacio La Trenca, Roc Falcon SLU, Parque faunistico de los Pirineos Lacuniacha, Fondo Amigos del Buitre, Asociacion Bonansa Activa, MonNatura Pirineus, and the national park of Aiguestortes i Estany de Sant Maurici and the natural parc of CadiMoixero provided data about the Pyrenean SFS. We do especially acknowledge M Grasa, JA Sese, J Canut, A Royo, M Aguilera, S Sancho, L Sanchez, S Garrig`os, D Manzanera, J Dalmau and E Rojas who developed part of the fieldwork. JA Sese also helped to improve a first draft of the questionnaire. The comments of two anonymous reviewers improved a previous version of this article. This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness (project CGL201566966C22R) , Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities (project RTI2018099609BC22) , and European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the INTERREG VAEspanaFranciaAndorra (POCTEFA 2014-2020 program, project ECOGYP EFA 089/15) . RGJ was supported by a predoctoral grant (FPI/BES-2016-077510) granted by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness. ZMR was supported by a postdoctoral contract cofunded by the Generalitat Valenciana and the European Social Fund (APOSTD/2019/016) . ; Nature's contributions to people (NCP) are fundamental to human well-being. In particular, non-material NCP, defined as effects on personal perspectives which enhance people's quality of life, are currently the most abstract and least well-defined NCP. Avian scavengers are a globally threatened guild that plays a key role in our society but currently only valued for their NCP of disease control and carcass removal. We describe the first economic valuation of the recreational and educational experiences brought by avian scavenger-based tourism in Spain, concretely, at vulture supplementary feeding sites (SFS) in the Pyrenees and their important contribution to the incomes of the local human population. Between February 2018 and January 2020, we collected information on the management and characteristics of 53 (c. 80%) of the Pyrenean SFS using telephone interviews and questionnaires. We estimated that photography and avian scavenger-watching at SFS produce an average of US $4.90 +/- 2.67 million annually, including US $2.53 +/- 1.36 million in direct economic benefits to the local population. Using a conservative economic approach, this study is one of only a few to value some of the important nonmaterial contribution provided by avian scavengers to our society. Our study also suggests that further research on non-material NCP provided by avian scavengers at SFS is needed. Finally, we discuss the delicate balance between recreational experiences arising from wildlife-based tourism and biodiversity conservation, contrasting the contribution of SFS to the income of local human populations against the problems they raise for vulture conservation. ; Spanish Ministry of Economy, Industry and Competitiveness CGL201566966C22R ; Ministry of Science, Innovation and Universities RTI2018099609BC22 ; European Regional Development Fund (ERDF) through the INTERREG VAEspanaFranciaAndorra (POCTEFA 2014-2020 program) ECOGYP EFA 089/15 ; Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness FPI/BES-2016-077510 ; European Social Fund (ESF) APOSTD/2019/016 ; Generalitat Valenciana European Commission
Global warming due to human-induced increments in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) is one of the most debated topics among environmentalists and politicians worldwide. In this paper we assess a novel source of GHG emissions emerged following a controversial policy decision. After the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Europe, the sanitary regulation required that livestock carcasses were collected from farms and transformed or destroyed in authorised plants, contradicting not only the obligations of member states to conserve scavenger species but also generating unprecedented GHG emission. However, how much of this emission could be prevented in the return to traditional and natural scenario in which scavengers freely remove livestock carcasses is largely unknown. Here we show that, in Spain (home of 95% of European vultures), supplanting the natural removal of dead extensive livestock by scavengers with carcass collection and transport to intermediate and processing plants meant the emission of 77,344 metric tons of CO2 eq. to the atmosphere per year, in addition to annual payments of ca. $50 million to insurance companies. Thus, replacing the ecosystem services provided by scavengers has not only conservation costs, but also important and unnecessary environmental and economic costs.
Global warming due to human-induced increments in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) is one of the most debated topics among environmentalists and politicians worldwide. In this paper we assess a novel source of GHG emissions emerged following a controversial policy decision. After the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Europe, the sanitary regulation required that livestock carcasses were collected from farms and transformed or destroyed in authorised plants, contradicting not only the obligations of member states to conserve scavenger species but also generating unprecedentedGHG emission. However, how much of this emission could be prevented in the return to traditional and natural scenario in which scavengers freely remove livestock carcasses is largely unknown. Here we show that, in Spain (home of 95% of European vultures), supplanting the natural removal of dead extensive livestock by scavengers with carcass collection and transport to intermediate and processing plants meant the emission of 77,344 metric tons of CO2 eq. to the atmosphere per year, in addition to annual payments of ca. $50 million to insurance companies. Thus, replacing the ecosystem services provided by scavengers has not only conservation costs, but also important and unnecessary environmental and economic costs ; This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the project CGL2012-40013-C02-01/02. Z.M.-R. was supported by FPU12/00823, M.C. by RYC-2009-04860 and A.M. by RYC-2012-11867. We thank B. Robles for his pioneering ideas on the energetic savings provided by vultures, and Entidad Estatal de Seguros Agrarios (ENESA) of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA) for supplying information. ; Peer reviewed
Global warming due to human-induced increments in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) is one of the most debated topics among environmentalists and politicians worldwide. In this paper we assess a novel source of GHG emissions emerged following a controversial policy decision. After the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Europe, the sanitary regulation required that livestock carcasses were collected from farms and transformed or destroyed in authorised plants, contradicting not only the obligations of member states to conserve scavenger species but also generating unprecedentedGHG emission. However, how much of this emission could be prevented in the return to traditional and natural scenario in which scavengers freely remove livestock carcasses is largely unknown. Here we show that, in Spain (home of 95% of European vultures), supplanting the natural removal of dead extensive livestock by scavengers with carcass collection and transport to intermediate and processing plants meant the emission of 77,344 metric tons of CO2 eq. to the atmosphere per year, in addition to annual payments of ca. $50 million to insurance companies. Thus, replacing the ecosystem services provided by scavengers has not only conservation costs, but also important and unnecessary environmental and economic costs ; This study was funded by the Spanish Ministry of Economy and Competitiveness through the project CGL2012-40013-C02-01/02. Z.M.-R. was supported by FPU12/00823, M.C. by RYC-2009-04860 and A.M. by RYC-2012-11867. We thank B. Robles for his pioneering ideas on the energetic savings provided by vultures, and Entidad Estatal de Seguros Agrarios (ENESA) of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Food and Environment (MAGRAMA) for supplying information.
Global warming due to human-induced increments in atmospheric concentrations of greenhouse gases (GHG) is one of the most debated topics among environmentalists and politicians worldwide. In this paper we assess a novel source of GHG emissions emerged following a controversial policy decision. After the outbreak of bovine spongiform encephalopathy in Europe, the sanitary regulation required that livestock carcasses were collected from farms and transformed or destroyed in authorised plants, contradicting not only the obligations of member states to conserve scavenger species but also generating unprecedentedGHG emission. However, how much of this emission could be prevented in the return to traditional and natural scenario in which scavengers freely remove livestock carcasses is largely unknown. Here we show that, in Spain (home of 95% of European vultures), supplanting the natural removal of dead extensive livestock by scavengers with carcass collection and transport to intermediate and processing plants meant the emission of 77,344 metric tons of CO2 eq. to the atmosphere per year, in addition to annual payments of ca. $50 million to insurance companies. Thus, replacing the ecosystem services provided by scavengers has not only conservation costs, but also important and unnecessary environmental and economic costs. ; This work was funded by the Spanish MINECO (grant CGL2012-40013-C02-02)
