Today the Central Asian Vulture project team had an online meeting with Muhammad Jamshed Iqbal Chaudhry, the Sr. Manager, Research & Conservation for WWF-Pakistan, and Dr Campbell Murn, Head of Conservation and Research at the Hawk Conservancy Trust, UK. WWF-Pakistan and HCT have been working together to secure a future for vultures in Pakistan.
The meeting was fulfilling three points from Annex 4 of the CMS Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures: Egyptian Vulture Flyway Action Plan (EVFAP), specifically Annex 4.3 Under Proposed strategic direction for conservation:
- Build capacity in Central Asia, Africa and Middle East
- Promote research
- Improve exchange of information
Jamshed shared with us his long experience of working with Vulture in Pakistan and their work to restore populations through captive-breeding and release. Until recently, the other vultures (White-rumped & Red-headed vultures) occurring in Pakistan have been the focus of conservation work. However, now Egyptian vultures are becoming a focus. Egyptian vultures occur several areas (Sindh and the NE) of Pakistan as residents and also migrants, often in groups of 80 or 100. Two of our EVs, Anya and Arys, passed through Pakistan and have spent some time there. Jamshed reported that the main threat in the country as the moment is poisoning.
We discussed how we can start to share the information on the movements of Egyptian vultures in central Asian to Pakistan and what plans in the future could be developed to monitor the populations.
We are looking forward to see what might develop in the future.