Conservation organisation, Wildlife ACT, is calling attention to and actively tackling the concerning decline of South African vulture populations through their Southern Drakensberg Conservation Project.
The project, which falls under the organisation’s Vulture Conservation Programme, calls on volunteers from around the world to assist in daily on-the-ground conservation efforts being made in the Southern Drakensberg region in KwaZulu-Natal.
Despite being critical to our ecosystems, vulture numbers are in serious decline, with only 50 to 100 breeding pairs of bearded vultures in South Africa and Lesotho and about 4,500 breeding pairs of Cape vultures left in South Africa.
Through the assistance of a voluntourism model, this project aims to further regional conservation efforts for endangered and priority wildlife species, with a significant focus on the vulnerable Cape vulture and the regionally critically endangered bearded vulture.
Made possible through a collaboration between Wildlife ACT, the Drakensberg Conservation Initiative and Ezemvelo KZN Wildlife, this project forms part of Wildlife ACT’s ongoing efforts to monitor and protect endangered and priority species and to assist in effective management of protected areas.
Daily conservation activities involve the monitoring of vulture nesting sites, managing and maintaining safe vulture feeding sites, conducting long-term remote camera trapping surveys and responding to emergency events such as poaching incidents and human-wildlife conflict.
Chris Kelly, lifelong conservationist and co-founder of Wildlife ACT, shared his excitement about the project.
“We are excited about the Southern Drakensberg Conservation Project and look forward to focusing some significant energy on the regionally critically endangered bearded vulture,” said Kelly.
“Vultures play a critical role in maintaining healthy ecosystems, and their decline is a serious concern. We hope to make a positive impact on the conservation of these magnificent birds within the Southern Drakensberg region.”
The Southern Drakensberg Conservation Project takes place both in and around the Maloti-Drakensberg Park World Heritage Site, a crucial stronghold for several threatened and endangered species.
The Heritage Site is a vast protected area spanning over 240,000 hectares and stretching along the border of South Africa and Lesotho. This protected area is home to an incredible diversity of plants and animals, including over 2,000 species of plants and a variety of rare and endangered animal species.
If you think you have what it takes to help conserve Southern Africa’s vultures and would like to apply to volunteer at Wildlife ACT, you can find more information here.
Environment