The Maloti-Drakensberg Vulture Project aims to conserve the Bearded and Cape vulture species in the region, in both South Africa and Lesotho, ensuring the persistance of these birds for future generations. We work to implement effective research, education, threat mitigation, protection, preservation and recovery operations in order to prevent further decline of population numbers and decrease in habitat use, which will ultimately result in the extinction of these iconic vulture species.

The project works to provide mechanisms to ensure the long term survival of the species through:

• Research to provide a comprehensive understanding of population sizes and dynamics, territory usage and spatial and temporal foraging ranges, breeding distribution, density and success rates, and the impacts of environmental influences and global climate change on the species.
• Monitoring activities using satellite transmitters, in order to provide information relating to territory range and occupancy, breeding and foraging ranges, change in territory uses, causes of mortality and the survival rate of the species.
• A Recovery Programme, encompassing a Bearded Vulture captive breeding programme, which will allow us to reintroduce these birds into the wild in order to boost population numbers.

See the detailed objectives of the Bearded and Cape Vultures’ Biodiversity Management Plans for more information.