We are pleased to present the report from the “Regional Workshop on Mobile Pastoralism and Vultures,” organized by Yolda Initiative, Vulture Conservation Foundation, and the Macedonian Ecological Society. This workshop highlighted the importance of sustainable pastoralism for vulture conservation and biodiversity, fostering dialogue and collaboration between pastoralists and conservationists.
We are excited to share the report from the “Regional Workshop on Mobile Pastoralism and Vultures,” a collaborative effort by the Yolda Initiative, Vulture Conservation Foundation, and Macedonian Ecological Society.
Conserving vultures along with the related ecosystems and achieving Target 10 “Enhance Biodiversity and Sustainability in Agriculture…” of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, in the Balkans and beyond, demands sustainable (mobile) pastoralism.
The past century has witnessed a dramatic decline in both vulture populations and the practice of (mobile) pastoralism in Europe. Given the mutualism between the two, a sustainable approach to conserving vultures should recognize sustainable pastoralists not as usual suspects but as strong allies whose voices should be heard in developing mutually beneficial solutions. This necessitates progressive conservation thinking and a new understanding based on respect and dialogue, addressing the root causes of conflicts such as the unintentional killing of birds, where they have already arisen or have the potential to arise.
Recalling the resolution of the United Nations General Assembly entitled “International Year of Rangelands and Pastoralists, 2026” and the “Multi-species Action Plan to Conserve African-Eurasian Vultures” (Vulture MsAP) of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS), the workshop aimed to initiate a dialogue between mobile pastoralists and conservationists. This was achieved by providing a space for exchanging knowledge and experiences, learning from each other, and co-developing actions and collaborations for the future conservation of vultures and (mobile) pastoralism in the Balkans and beyond.
Discover the insights and collaborative outcomes of this significant workshop by reading the full report here: https://bit.ly/48e0QiA
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