Online Reporter
Gibson Mhaka
A groundbreaking new report released by BirdLife International has placed a staggering economic value on the often-overlooked role of vultures in Southern Africa’s ecosystems, estimating that these vital scavengers provide an astonishing US$1.8 billion annually in ecosystem services.
The remarkable figure highlights vultures’ crucial contribution to the region’s ecological and economic health.
The report, focusing on Botswana, Zimbabwe, and Zambia, indicates that vultures provide ecosystem services, including bequest values, sanitation, and pest control, totaling US$1.8 billion annually.
This includes sanitation and pest control services to human health, valued at US$93 million per year across the three countries.
“A new report documenting the economic value of ecosystem services provided by vultures in Southern Africa has been launched by BirdLife International, marking a significant milestone in understanding the role of vultures in the ecosystem.
“According to the report, which focused on Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia, vultures provide ecosystem services including bequest values, sanitation and pest control services, totalling to US $ 1.8 billion per year, including sanitation and pest control services to human health valued at US $ 93 million per year in the three countries,” reads the report.
According to the report, Africa is home to eleven species of vultures. Seven of these face the risk of extinction, being listed as Vulnerable, Endangered, or Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
“Vultures, essential for maintaining ecological balance by scavenging on decaying carcasses, have experienced alarming declines, with African vulture populations plummeting by 80-97% over the last five decades, with some species facing a decline of over 92 percent. The main threats include poisoning (responsible for 61% of recorded vulture deaths across Africa); belief-based use (29%); and electrocution by energy infrastructure (9%). Halting and reversing these declines is imperative to prevent vultures from becoming extinct”.
In Southern Africa, widespread vulture poisoning, through secondary poisoning incidents at mega-herbivore carcasses and for belief-based use, poses a severe threat.
Incidents such as the mass poisoning in Botswana in 2019, which resulted in the death of over 500 Critically Endangered vultures, highlight this danger.
Other threats in the region include collisions and electrocutions from energy infrastructure, as well as habitat destruction.
“The adverse decline of vultures in Asia in the 1990s due to the presence of diclofenac in carcasses, provided a window into a catastrophic scenario without vultures and the impact of the loss of the ecosystem services they provide.
“Thus, BirdLife International and its Partners commissioned the study to evaluate the value of vultures in the African context and the impact of not having vultures in the ecosystem,” further reads the report.
Additionally, the report highlights other values associated with vultures and their economic impact on communities living alongside them, as well as on the public (both local and international), tourism operators, and rangers and parks personnel.
Furthermore, it details the welfare loss resulting from inaction on vulture conservation, estimated at approximately US$47 million per year, while the welfare gains from conservation efforts are valued at US$30 million per year.
Commenting on the report, Head of Conservation, Africa at BirdLife International, Matthew Lewis, stated that the decline of vulture populations across the continent was indeed worrying.
He emphasised that the groundbreaking study on the economic value of vultures in the Southern Africa region was crucial in advancing conservation efforts and that BirdLife and its partners would continue to collaborate with stakeholders in the region to reverse the trend for vultures in Southern Africa.
Preventing Extinctions programme manager at BirdLife Zimbabwe, Leeroy Moyo, concurred, stating that the report was intended to support policy advocacy for vulture conservation and to enhance awareness among local communities and stakeholders regarding vultures’ essential role in maintaining ecosystem health and promoting human well-being.
“As BirdLife Zimbabwe, this report is intended to support policy advocacy for vulture conservation. It seeks to enhance awareness among local communities and stakeholders regarding vultures’ essential role in maintaining ecosystem health and promoting human well-being.
“By integrating these findings into national conservation strategies, we aim to continue mitigating threats such as poisoning, habitat loss, and illegal trade, thereby ensuring a sustainable future for vulture populations in Zimbabwe and the ecosystems they support,” said Moyo.
Programme manager at BirdWatch Zambia, Mary Malasa, stated that quantifying vultures’ role as nature’s clean-up strengthened the case for their conservation.
She added that this valuation would serve as a tool not only to raise awareness but also to ensure that the role of vultures in the ecosystem was appreciated.
“It was particularly interesting to interact with local communities and gain first-hand insights into their perspectives while collecting this data. Quantifying vultures’ role as nature’s clean-up strengthens the case for their conservation.
“This valuation will serve as a tool not only to raise awareness but ensure that the role of vultures in the ecosystem is appreciated.
“BirdLife and Partners hope that this study will be instrumental in promoting vulture conservation efforts in the Southern Africa region, through provision of critical information on the economic value of vultures and encourage improved efforts in Southern Africa through increased collaborations among governments, civil society, academia, and local communities,” said Malasa.
