The griffon vulture in Cyprus is on the brink of extinction: six organizations unite to protect rare birds of prey

Under the new «Raptors for LIFE» project, specialists will work to conserve three species of birds of prey — the griffon vulture, Bonelli’s eagle and the long-legged buzzard.

The project will officially launch in October with the support of the European Union’s LIFE Programme. It brings together BirdLife Cyprus, the Game and Fauna Service, the Vulture Conservation Foundation, the State General Laboratory, the Cyprus Police and the Electricity Authority of Cyprus.

The main goal of the project is to reduce bird deaths caused by poisoned baits, electrocution, collisions with energy infrastructure, illegal hunting and other threats.

The situation is particularly critical for the griffon vulture. There are currently only around 37 of these birds in Cyprus. The main threats to their survival remain poisoned baits and collisions with power lines.

Bonelli’s eagle remains the only eagle species that continues to breed on the island, but it also faces risks from poisoning, persecution by humans and dangers associated with energy infrastructure.

The long-legged buzzard, whose population in Cyprus has grown over the past decades, is also under threat — including from illegal shooting, electrocution and collisions with infrastructure.

As part of the project, investigations into crimes against wildlife will be strengthened, poison detection methods will be improved, specialists will receive training and equipment for analysing toxic substances will be purchased.

The new project will continue the work of previous initiatives to protect the griffon vulture and Bonelli’s eagle, which helped increase the vulture population through the relocation and release of birds from Spain.