The use of biosphere reserves by a wide-ranging avian scavenger indicates its significant potential for conservation

Abstract

SummaryThe framing of environmental conservation has been changing, mainly towards a reconciliation between human needs and nature conservation. A major challenge of biosphere reserves (BRs) is the integration of biodiversity conservation and the sustainable development of local communities. Although these areas are large, they are often not large enough to contain the movements of wide-ranging species. We studied immature Andean condor (Vultur gryphus) movements to evaluate their habitat use in relation to protected areas (PAs). We particularly aimed to determine whether BRs significantly increase the protection of this wide-ranging species. We analysed the movement overlap of 26 GPS-tagged birds with the PAs of Patagonia, and we evaluated preferences for particular landscape categories with a use–availability design. Condors were mainly located in unprotected areas (56.4%), whereas 26.4% of locations were within International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) PAs and 17.2% of locations were in BRs (not including IUCN PAs). When compared to availability, birds preferred BRs over other areas, highlighting the importance of BRs in protecting species that forage in humanized areas. However, the lack of controls and management policies expose condors to several threats, such as poisoning and persecution, in both private lands and BRs. Implementing strict management practices for BRs will help to conserve wide-ranging scavengers that feed in humanized areas.

Defining Spatial Conservation Priorities for the Andean Condor (Vultur gryphus)

“…The medium and large ACCUs in the central and southern portions of the historical range may well be large enough to permanently hold meaningful populations of Andean Condors. However, the ACCUs' immense sizes underline the need for integrated conservation approaches that embrace the importance of including different types of protected areas (e.g., international biosphere reserves; Guido et al 2020) and also going beyond protected area limits and engaging in discussions and management practices with a wide range of local stakeholders and communities. It is also worth stressing that given the flying capacity of Andean Condors, populations of many neighboring ACCUs are probably still functionally connected.…”

“…This does not meet the 17% recommended by the Convention on Biological Diversity as a 2011-2020 goal in the Aichi targets (Convention on Biological Diversity 2011). It is important to emphasize that individual Andean Condors travel huge distances, and the ranges of most individuals in the global population include protected areas, but also large portions of other unprotected types of land management (Lambertucci et al 2014, Guido et al 2020. The protected portions of the ACCUs were deemed to be especially important for nesting and roosting.…”

“…This is especially important for species under known and significant threats and that are particularly sensitive to environmental change due to their longevity (Beissinger 2000, Owens and Bennett 2000, Knight and Cowling 2007. Andean Condors are known to use large areas covering a variety of management jurisdictions; studies in Argentina have demonstrated the importance of protected areas in the protection of the species, and some researchers have proposed prioritization of conservation areas based on movement data of satellite-tagged individuals (Lambertucci et al 2014, Guido et al 2020, Perrig et al 2020. However, there is a pressing need for a prioritization of conservation areas across the entire distribution of the species.…”

Exposure to Anthropogenic Areas May Influence Colonization by Zoonotic Microorganisms in Scavenging Birds

“…In this study area, they feed on large carcasses of sheep, red deer, and cows, but also a large proportion of lagomorphs [ 32 , 33 ]. They forage particularly in the Patagonian steppe, avoiding urbanized sites such as roads, slaughterhouses, and rubbish dumps [ 13 , 34 , 35 ]. This species is facing different threats associated with human activities in Argentina and throughout their entire distribution range [ 29 , 36 , 37 ].…”

“…This area has a low degree of human impact. In fact, an important part of this geographical area encompasses land under protection (national parks, provincial reserves, and biosphere reserves) [ 34 ]. Moreover, condors in this area travel large distances each day (e.g., 350 km in one day) covering vast natural areas [ 42 ].…”