International workshop on poisoning and vultures what is the situation in Africa and how can Europe help? (Ronda, Spain, 8-11th April 2014)

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1 International workshop on poisoning and vultures what is the situation in Africa and how can Europe help? (Ronda, Spain, 8-11th April 2014) Report and conclusions Executive summary Africa presently faces a little-known, poorly understood, and often-ignored wildlife crisis of untold consequences - the demise of its vultures. Vulture populations are generally declining very rapidly in Africa, and several once common species are currently on the verge of extinction. Poison is driving Africa s vultures toward extinction, but the drivers, the substances used, modus operandi and availability of data regarding poisoning incidents all vary significantly across the continent. Three main priorities were identified at an international workshop to fight this threat: 1) Document the situation better both in terms of vulture decline rates, and the poisoning incidents themselves (frequency and location), also the substances, methods and networks used, and motivations, to design intervention strategies; 2) Involve relevant government agencies in collaboration with conservationists, vulture experts, chemists/analysts, enforcement agencies and other relevant stakeholders, to rapidly and decisively change the path toward vulture extinction; 3) Robust research is required to alert authorities to the human health and sanitary consequences of vulture poisoning vultures are not the sole victims here, humans are certainly affected too, either because they eat deliberately poisoned fish and wildlife, including vultures, as well as contaminated crops, or because sanitation around villages deteriorates with the disappearance of these highly effective International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 1

2 scavengers, in parallel to the explosion of feral dog populations, and the increase of diseases they carry, including rabies. Introduction Vultures are declining rapidly in Africa, and poisoning is recognised as the number one threat. Rates of decline, causes of poisoning and modus operandi differ across the continent in southern and eastern Africa vultures die after eating carcasses laced with poison used to kill carnivores, or are deliberately killed by poachers of elephants and rhinos seeking to evade detection by law enforcement agents; Similarly, in Ethiopia use of strychnine and other poisons to control feral dogs is of concern, while in West Africa vultures are killed deliberately for food or for the traditional medicine trade. Whatever the means and the drivers, the situation is now critical vultures are declining everywhere, sometimes at a dramatic rate - decreases of up to 90% for some species have been detected. Africa is quickly losing its vultures, and with them an important suite of ecosystem services, and a key ecological function, are lost without scavengers, carcasses are left to rot, disease spreads among and between other scavenger, carnivore and herbivore species, and sanitation around villages also decreases. Feral dog populations expand in these villages as they fill the role of scavengers, and diseases carried by feral dogs, such as rabies, become a serious human health threat. Over the last few years, a number of initiatives have been developing across to fight this biodiversity and human health crisis. The Vulture Conservation Foundation (VCF) and the Junta de Andalucía (Estrategia Andaluza contra el Veneno, Servicio de Geodiversidad y Biodiversidad, Direccion General Gestion del Medio Natural, Consejeria de Medio Ambiente y Ordenacion del Territorio) have also recently jumped on board to offer their support, organising this workshop, as part of a project funded by the programme Poctefex Transhabitat Andalucia-Marruecos. Wildlife poisoning is also a widespread illegal activity in Europe. Some countries and/or regions have developed effective strategies and action plans to minimize their effects. The Junta de Andalucía has been implementing their anti-poisoning campaign since 2004, and has made huge progress in fighting this threat its programme is now considered one of the best in the world. During the workshop international experts (in particular from Africa) characterized the drivers and scope of vulture poisoning in the different regions, discussed essential steps towards fighting this threat, identified a number of crucial next steps and strategies, and learned a great deal from each other. International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 2

3 Crucially, the workshop gathered field biologists, chemistry experts, forensic specialists and police, thus covering the spectrum of different disciplines that must be involved when fighting wildlife poisoning. Demonstrations and practical sessions regarding the identification and investigation of poisoning cases, lab sessions and necropsies (postmortems on birds) were also performed. Objectives of the workshop - To review and assess the current situation regarding poisoning and vultures across the African continent, including substances and methods used that result in vulture poisonings. - To review current techniques and tools used to fight poison in Europe, notably: a) identification of a poisoning incident b) forensic methods and tools used c) sample collection for toxicological analysis d) laboratory analysis e) public awareness and communications - To identify current gaps in the fight against poison in Africa - To review current legal frameworks in Europe and Africa and assess scientific, public awareness, resource allocation, and policy gaps Expected outputs - Establish an effective multidisciplinary and international network of experts - Establish tangible partnerships, including on forensic and analytical/lab work - Identify poisoning hotspots in Africa and key poisons and methods used - Make recommendations both regarding protocols and legislation/policies needed to improve the fight against poisoning in Africa Conclusions Drivers of poisoning, modus operandi and impacts Southern Africa International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 3

4 Population status of Southern African vultures declining very fast Research has shown that many species have large, usually trans-boundary, foraging areas, therefore problem here is one of sub-continental or continental scale Reasons for poison use in Southern Africa vary: i) Farming-livestock related (secondary poisoning, problems with carnivores, including jackals); ii) Poaching related vultures poisoned deliberately by poachers because they help rangers pinpoint location of poached elephants and rhinos; iii) Muti (traditional medicine) trade Lead poisoning an issue as well (e.g. for bearded vultures) scope for culling and controlling agencies to pilot non-lead ammunition initiative? Poisoning is often occurring outside protected areas Not a new issue. Peaked in 2000/2001, and is now re-emerging across the region. There are databases identifying all known cases of vulture poisoning - South Africa (1996-present) and Southern Africa (2012-present) Some successful criminal prosecution cases (1 recently in South Africa, 2 years imprisonment) Good legislation exists in South Africa, including a strict vetting process for NSAIDs; but application and enforcement of legislation are not always effective or consistent. Also, there is no legislation regarding vulture feeding sites, and this is needed to regulate this popular activity there are now 187 known/reported feeding sites. South Africa arguably has the most advanced system in place in terms of investigation and diagnosis of evidence investigation of incidents, collecting samples, laboratory analysis for poisons used. Definite need to train new generation in all aspects. Outside South Africa, huge gaps some countries giving first steps (Botswana, Namibia), others no work whatsoever (Angola/Mozambique). Mozambique does not even have any wildlife protection legislation, let alone legislation on poisoning. Poaching has become intrinsically linked to vulture poisoning. Eastern Africa Recent data suggests large decline in several vulture species across Eastern Africa (60%) Drivers of poisoning: i) human wildlife conflict; ii) used for hunting (birds and fish); iii) control of feral dogs (vet departments) perhaps easier to tackle?; iv) traditional medicine Some hotspots already identified (e.g. Masai Mara, other protected areas and rice schemes) Little government involvement by pesticide regulatory agency and little sharing of information by government authorities International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 4

5 One of the main problems testing samples and confirming poisoning incidents, identifying chemicals used. There are problems and limitations in detecting poisoning events, getting reports and samples from the field, and only a very small fraction of cases is actually tested (less than 10 in the last 10 years). There are few laboratories where tests can be routinely done. These are either university labs (usually more accessible, but not always cost effective) and/or the government lab (result reliability and transparency can be an issue and expensive) Up to now no single prosecution related to poisoning in Kenya (except for fish) Overall lack of capacity on issues of vulture/other biodiversity poisoning Almost no data from Tanzania, a key country. Ethiopia No apparent decline in vultures, good populations, but no monitoring of populations, so filling this data gap is now a priority. Strychnine used by municipalities against feral dogs, and other undetermined poisons used to kill hyenas and jackals, both potentially resulting in secondary poisoning of vultures. Lots of insecticide usage in cash crops, both registered and unregistered Pesticide smuggling over borders has been observed There have been no penalties/convictions (but there is good legislation on illegal poisoning) Reference laboratory exists, but no concrete analysis is being directed toward wildlife mortality Research, awareness and capacity building is a priority. Morocco Most species of vultures decimated, or extinct as breeding species. They still migrate through the country, but may not spend much time there. Need more information for other North African countries. Morocco important as a flyway for vultures breeding in Europe (griffon, Egyptian vultures). Literature and fieldwork: Poison reportedly widespread in the past, but no recent cases detected (maybe more difficult to detect now?). Surveillance and monitoring needed to understand causes of vulture population declines and loss of breeding colonies in Morocco. Research to determine if vulture population declines in Morocco is primarily a consequence of severe declines in West Africa Food availability and direct persecution may be bigger problems at present? International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 5

6 There is control of feral dogs, and widespread strychnine use Reference laboratory exists (even called antipoisoning lab), but for human cases/samples - wildlife poisoning ignored Need a champion in country to promote investigation of poisoning issues There is some trade in vulture parts, and impacts and scope need to be investigated. West Africa Most severe vulture decline in Africa: 96-97% for Gyps species in the last 35 years Most large vultures now depend on secluded protected areas to nest, such is the level of persecution. Vultures in West Africa depend more on anthropogenic food than in other parts of Africa making vulture conservation an important component of human health by removing carcasses that may amplify infectious agents from the environment and re-establishing scavenger balance, reversing the problem of expanding feral domestic dog populations Vultures are mainly killed for traditional medicine and food using pesticides. This is a significant human health risk as well as affecting vulture populations Nigeria and Benin drive the trade in vulture products, and there is potential for expansion (in Senegal-Gambia, or countries where Nigerians live). Hooded vultures now seem to be the main commodity Other raptors now being targeted to provide fake vulture parts (i-e- kites), with the highest prices obtained for larger species Trade ban may be one of the solutions Capacity (monitoring and management) a big issue Main conclusions 1. Use work already done A number of initiatives and meetings regarding this issue have already taken place, notably the following - Pan-African vulture summit 2012 a strategy was produced, and should be referred to. - Review paper on pesticide poisoning across Africa has just been published ( The power of poison: pesticide poisoning of Africa s wildlife, Darcy Ogada, Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2014), which reviews the issue, identifies gaps and makes strategic recommendations. International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 6

7 2. Produce an accurate description of the situationcollate and collect baseline data. There is still relatively limited research, capacity and poisoning investigation/diagnosis occurring across Africa. Future work needs to include: i. Monitoring schemes to quantify vulture population declines (road surveys, site surveys, breeding colony monitoring) ii. Development of national AND continent-wide poisoning databases (later under IUCN VSG). Develop incentives for entering data in these databases. iii. Promotion of active collaboration between field researchers and existing laboratories to encourage collection and analysis of more samples iv. Promotion of the development of a field kit to quickly identify poisoning agents (at least for the most commonly used compounds/compound categories). v. Develop/Adapt poisoning field investigation protocols to regional contexts and realities vi. Absolute and urgent need for training of wardens and rangers the people out there in the field regarding identification of poisoning, basic investigation of suspected poisoning cases, taking relevant samples and selfdestruction/removal of suspected poisoned carcasses. Very important to promote and enhance a sound forensic investigative approach in all these trainings, as this is fundamental to understanding and adequately characterizing poisoning need to find out what, why, who, how it was done. vii. Consider using other species of raptors (more common, more accessible or easier to work with) as proxies to detect poisoning-identify population trends (e.g. Yellow billed kite) 3. Need for a transnational AND collaborative approach This issue is multidisciplinary, and international in scale and scope across Africa (e.g. trans-boundary foraging areas, international trade on vulture parts, migration). TEAM: Together Everybody Achieves More. Need to liaise with stakeholders addressing the why s, to help provide legitimate alternatives to poisoning and address underlying causes. 4. Criminal investigation/maintaining custodial chain not an immediate priority Criminal investigation is a complex, difficult, often frustrating process. There are complex legal issues and the local context (namely the prevalence of corruption) International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 7

8 makes this task challenging. The general agreement was that investing time/effort on case prosecution was not an immediate priority. However, an opportunistic approach should be maintained and good practice/capacity built, as one high profile case can be a game changer. RSA may focus more on this area given their more advanced capacity. 5. Need to approach issue from non-biodiversity angles Vultures are not seen as a priority nor charismatic in Africa. Hence, vulture poisoning will not be high on any agenda, unless we use other dimensions, namely i) the human health dimension and risk (i.e. consumption/use of poisoned vulture parts); ii) sanitation and the potential for the spread of disease (i.e. due to the loss of vultures). It is urgent to try to quantify the value of vultures to Africa. If within the relevant government agencies and circles the health of local people does not seem to be a priority, international pressure should be strategically and concertedly applied. 6. Multinational campaign is a must The general picture is that government agencies across Africa are not sufficiently involved. There is an absolute need to involve them! More data/research, particularly publications in peer-reviewed scientific journals, will help these issues gain a certain type of credibility, but there is a need to develop plans that justify and promote conservations of vultures, and enlist the help of government decisionmakers, the public, NGOs, universities, public health and scientific communities. Recent case studies suggest that international pressure and effective communication helps. Several possibilities through tribal laws, SADC, EAC, IGAD, AU, OAS, IUCN, WHO, FAO, OIE, CMS, CITES. Also, we must not get stuck - if in the short-term working with governments does not yield any results these entities can be circumvented and circled back upon later. 7. Regional strategies-approaches i. Southern Africa Deepen existing capacity and lead at a regional level : expand criminal enforcement, help other regional countries with lab analysis, ii. iii. iv. pilot public health approaches East Africa Focus on documentation : emphasis on poisoning case investigation and characterisation/identification of poison used collect more data- sampling-analysis Gap countries Basic start : identify local champions, basic monitoring Ethiopia to pursue strychnine problem plus urgent monitoring of populations International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 8

9 v. West Africa as a separate cluster focus on vulture trade and human consumption of vulture meat 8. Test pilot local engagement and community-based solutions in poisoning hotspots Tangible Outputs coming from the workshop next steps a) Develop continent-wide database - important to have overview of products involved. Database should be structured with a forensic investigative approach in mind, so as to allow for data on context (photographs, etc.) to be added. IUCN VSG (André) to lead, Carol/Ngaio/Iñigo to advise b) Share protocols for dealing with injured birds/poisoning events i. Investigation (Adapt SEO s protocol Iñigo) ii. Injured birds (Andre Botha) iii. Laboratory protocols (Ngaio-Carol-Iñigo) c) Develop funding proposal for training courses in Africa (Ralph to explore Dutch funding for west Africa, D. Ogada and André Botha) d) Develop funding proposals for more lab analysis - use human health and agriculture angles i. Human health component (MSF/WHO/OIE?) Ralph-Ngaio-Carol ii. European companies (e.g. Dutch flower companies?) - Ralph iii. Poisoning bees in East Africa Ngaio e) Establish partnerships between European and African labs exchanges, training, students Anthony + Mark + Joseph f) Develop proposal to fund vultures and ecosystem services research - sanitary role of vultures in Africa Darcy, Yilma g) Coordinate African vultures inclusion in annex I CITES Andre with contribution of others h) Develop proposal focussed on the problems of using strychnine to control feral dogs Ethiopia? Yilma, Ngaio and Carol i) Explore protocols and contract with Nairobi race track - potential to fund analysis lab in Kenya? Anthony, Joseph, Ngaio International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 9

10 j) Explore opportunities to develop field kit for commonly used poisons Mark and Anthony Participants In alphabetical order Alvaro Camiña Cardenal André Botha, Co-Chair, IUCN Vulture Specialist Group & Manager, Birds of Prey Programme, Endangered Wildlife Trust, South Africa, Mobile: Antonio Ruiz Anthony Ngure Gachanjah Carol U Meteyer, USGS Contamiant Biology Program, Sunrise Valley Drive, Reston, VA USA cmeteyer@usgs.gov Phone: Darcy Ogada, Assistant Director of Africa Programs, The Peregrine Fund, 5668 W. Flying Hawk Lane, Boise, Idaho 83709, USA, darcyogada@yahoo.com, Mobile: Holger Kolberg, Conservation Scientist, Ministry of Environment and Tourism, Namibia, holgerk@afol.com.na Iñigo Fajardo, Head of the Antipoison-Antipoaching Programme, Dirección General Gestión Medio Natural. Junta de Andalucía, inigo.fajardo@juntadeandalucia.es Irene Zorrilla, Director, Centro de Análisis y Diagnóstico de la Fauna Silvestre, izorrilla@agenciamedioambienteyagua.es José Antonio Alfaro Moreno, Head of Nature Protection Service (SEPRONA). Huelva Guardia Civil Headquarter. SPAIN jaalfarom@guardiacivil.es / sevigrande@hotmail.com José Rafael Garrido, Wildlife Monitoring and Management Programmes Director, Environmental and Water Agency, Regional Goverment of Andalucia, Spain, jrgarrido@agenciamedioambienteyagua.es, José Tavares, Director, Vulture Conservation Foundation, j.tavares@4vultures.org International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 10

11 Joseph Lalah - Director- School of Graduate and Advanced Studies, Technical University of Kenya, P. O. Box Nairobi, Kenya. Mobile Telephone Contact: ; lalahjoseph@yahoo.com. Jovan Andevski, Balkan Vulture Action Plan, Vulture Conservation Foundation, a.andevski@4vultures.org Mark Taggart, Senior Research fellow, Environmental Research Institute, University of the Highlands and Islands, UK, mark.taggart@uhi.ac.uk Martin Odino, Research Affiliate, National Museums of Kenya, Ornithology Section, martinchael@gmail.com Moses Selebatso, Conservation Biologist, Raptors Botswana Research and Conservation, P.O. Box , Gaborone, Botswana. selebatsom@yahoo.co.uk. Phone Ngaio Richards, Independent researcher, Ngaio.richards56@gmail Rafael Arenas Ralph Buij, Researcher, Animal Ecology Department, Alterra Wageningen University, Netherlands, ralph.buij@wur.nl Yilma Dellelegn Abebe P. O. Box Addis Ababa Ethiopia, Tel: (mobile),ornithopia1@gmail.com This workshop has been funded by Junta de Andalucia, through the programme Poctefex Transhabitat Andalucia-Marruecos International workshop on poisoning & vultures in Africa- conclusions & outputs Page 11