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WCC 2016 Res 022 - Progress Report

General information
Conservation measures for vultures, including banning the use of veterinary diclofenac
Period covered: 
2017
IUCN Constituencies implementing this Resolution
IUCN Members: 
BirdLife Botswana ( BLB ) / Botswana
Prokriti O Jibon Foundation ( POJF ) / Bangladesh
Royal Society for Protection of Nature ( RSPN ) / Bhutan
Bombay Natural History Society ( BNHS ) / India
Aaranyak / India
Nature Kenya - The East Africa Natural History Society ( EANHS ) / Kenya
ADCB81B5-B8A3-E011-96D3-002655853524
Nigerian Conservation Foundation ( NCF ) / Nigeria
Bird Conservation Nepal/Nepal Panchhi Samrakchyan Sangh ( BCN ) / Nepal
World Wide Fund - Pakistan ( WWF ) / Pakistan
BirdLife South Africa ( BLSA ) / South Africa
Endangered Wildlife Trust ( EWT ) / South Africa
Zoological Society of London ( ZSL ) / United Kingdom
BirdLife International / United Kingdom
Royal Society for the Protection of Birds ( RSPB ) / United Kingdom
BirdLife Zimbabwe ( BLZ ) / Zimbabwe
Durrell Wildlife Conservation Trust ( DWCT ) / Jersey
IUCN Commissions: 
F717E09E-5094-E611-97F4-005056BA6623
IUCN Secretariat: 
Yes
Other non-IUCN related organisations: 
Vulture Conservation Foundation, Arulagam; Birdwatch Zambia, CMS Secretariat - Raptors MOU, Painted Dogs Conservation, the Peregrine Fund.
Implementation
Indicate which actions have been carried out to implement this Resolution : 
Convene stakeholders/Networking
Education/Communication/Raising awareness
Field activities
Policy influencing/advocacy
Scientific/technical activities
Describe the results/achievements of the actions taken: 
This resolution is being implemented well by the IUCN SSC Vulture Specialist Group and Birdlife International with partners and IUCN members. Many activities have commenced and some are still on-going.
Activities carried out include:
Convene stakeholders: Birdlife International in collaboration with the CMS Raptors MOU Coordinating Unit, the IUCN SSC Vulture Specialist Group and Vulture Conservation Foundation, coordinated the completion and facilitation of the adoption of the Milti-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures (Vulture MsAP)by CMS Parties at CMS COP-12, 2017, which has generated strong support and collaboration to advance vulture conservation in Africa and elsewhere. The IUCN SSC Vulture Specialist Group also convened the annual SAVE (Saving Asia’s Vultures from Extinction)meeting participated by 21 partners of SAVE including Governments to review the Blueprint recovers plan

Education/Communications/Raising awareness: many activities related to this also related to other anti-poisoning activities in collaboration between partners in this resolutions and conservation organisations.

Field activities: Birdlife partners have carried out actions to save Africa's vultures from poisoning in some countries in Africa. SAVE network partners carried out monitoring activities and safety testing of non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)on vultures in South and Southeast Asia. Birdlife partners have also taken actions to save vultures in Eastern Europe, and are running a campaign for a ban of vulture-toxic NSAIDs, especially diclofenac in Spain, Italy and across Europe.

Policy influencing/advocacy: Many activities have been carried out. Achievements include the support of the Indian Government on multi-dose vials of human diclofenac ban; a concerted campaign to have a diclofenac ban in European Union States, especially in Spain by Birdlife and partners.

Scientific/technical activities: safety testing of NSAIDs on vultures of up to 10 drugs by the SAVE network. Birdlife partners are contributing to the African Wildlife Poison Database, as well as established baseline breeding and nesting data for cliff and tree nesting vulture species at various sites in Africa. Birdlife Africa is also investigating impacts of lead poisoning on Cape and White-backed vultures in South Africa.




What challenges/obstacles have been encountered in the implementation of this Resolution and how were they overcome : 
The complexity of the poisoning issue driven by powerful and intractable forces such as ivory trade and human-carnivore conflict requires time, alliance with other conservation organisations working on the poisoning issue is very important to overcome the challenges. There have been very good support and partnerships for the implementation of this resolution among sponsors and focal point organisations.
Briefly describe what future actions are needed for the implementation of this Resolution: 
Most of the activities reported above are on-going and will continue to be carried out in 2018.

Some future activities are planned below:
Convene stakeholders/Networking: Drive forward implementation of the Vulture MsAP, and fundraising to achieve this. Further events towards this aim are planned in 2018.

Education/Communication/Raising awareness: Continue programmmes to promote vultures in a positive light to decision-makers and the public, including by demonstrating the their ecosystem service value.

Field activities: Continue and expand anti-poisoning programmes in Africa with development of an emergency funding mechanism; replicate approaches in additional countries. This includes a strong Capacity-building element.

Policy influencing/advocacy: Continue to advocate bans on vulture-toxic veterinary Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs, in particular diclofenac, across the EU and elsewhere. Increase efforts to address threats of collision and electrocution with energy infrastructure through sensitivity mapping in East Africa and the Red Sea flyway. Expand efforts to combat the threat of belief-based use of vulture body parts in West Africa, focusing on Nigeria.

Policy influencing/advocacy: Support national vulture action planning and development of guidance to implement Vulture Safe Zones as an essential landscape approach to conserving these wide-ranging birds.
Are these actions planned for yet: 
Yes
Status of implementation
Status of implementation for this Resolution: 
On-going: implementation consisting of repetitive, recurrent action (attending meetings, reporting, etc.)