National Action Plan for Vulture Conservation, 2020-2025

The National Action Plan for Vulture Conservation, 2020-25 was recently approved by National Board for Wild life. The plan has suggested that new veterinary non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs be tested on vultures before they are commercially released.

Key Highlights of the Plan

• The new plan automatically removes veterinary use of a drug if it is found to be toxic to vultures. This is to be done with the help of Drugs Controller General of India.
• Under the plan, every state will host at least one vulture safe zone to conserve the remnant population of vultures in the state. These centres will facilitate conservation and breeding of vultures.
• A coordinated Nation-wide vulture counting is to be conducted by the Bombay Natural History Society, Forest Department, non-profit organisations, Research Institute, etc. These countings are to be conducted at regular intervals.

Vulture Multi-Species Action Plan

It was adopted at the Conservation of Migratory Species (CMS) held in 2017. The first strategy of the plan was launched at the CMS COP 13 held in Gandhinagar, Gujarat, India.

The major objectives of the plan are as follows

• To reduce mortality caused due to unintentional toxic substances
• To reduce mortality due to NSAID.
• To halt the trade of vulture parts
• To stop poisoning by poacher.

A National vulture Task Force is to be created in every member country. This task force shall help the respective governments to address the threats to vultures in their respective countries.

The report of success of the project is to be created in 2029.

Threats

The major threats leading to decline in vulture population are unintentional and intentional poisoning, death due to power grid infrastructure (collision or electrocution), reduction in food availability, diseases, habitat loss (fragmentation and degradation), disturbance from human activities and climate change.

Month: Current Affairs - November, 2020