Wednesday, 6 March 2013

RID 2483 - ROTARACT CLUB OF NIS-CONSTANTINE THE GREAT

Griffon Vulture:
Serbia abounds in diverse flora and fauna. However, that natural treasure rapidly dwindles and gets depleted with time. We are the main cause of it, and we are also the only ones to stop it, and prevent the irreversible and inestimable losses that occur due to our negligence and irresponsibility. There are 215 plant and 429 animal species in Serbia which have been put under our country’s strict protection as natural rarities. Among the endangered animal species there are 273 bird species, as well as 66 mammal species. The protection also extends to 41 species of invertebrates, 34 insect and 15 fish species. Out of 6 bio-regions that exist in Europe, 5 are present in Serbia. That fact alone tells a lot about the richness of biodiversity that exists here. At present, the survival of many plant and animal species is at risk, as many species face extinction, and a great number had already become extinct. Like most other countries, Serbia has its Red Books where there are lists of extinct and critically endangered species. Some of the rare and endangered animal species are the following:
Apollo butterfly
Saker falcon
Alpine salamander
Western capercaillie
Ferruginous duck
Griffon vulture
Eastern imperial eagle
There is also the Black Book of flora and fauna, which contains the list of several thousand species, sadly, forever destroyed by man. Serbia too can be found in it, with 4 species, endemic to Serbia, irretrievably lost from the world’s gene pool. Some of the species that can no longer be found in our country are the black vulture, white scavenger vulture, little bustard, bearded vulture, black grouse and many more.

The Griffon vulture is a large scavenger bird, from the Accipitridae family, which inhabits the areas of southern Europe, southwest Asia and north Africa. It is 93-110 cm long, and weighs 6 to 13 kg. In appearance, it is a typical Old World vulture, with a bare, white head and neck, yellow bill, broad wings and short tail feathers. Its chicks are nakedat hatching. Like other vultures, it is a scavenger, feeding mostly from carcasses of dead animals which it finds by soaring over open areas, often moving in flocks.It often grunts and hisses, especially when feeding. It nests on mountain cliffs, laying one egg.

Breeding: The Griffon vulture breeds in gorges, on steep limestone rocks. The female lays only one egg in the period from the end of January to the beginning of April. The parents take turns sitting on the egg for 52 to 57 days. The chick is able to fly at three months, but it is still dependent on its parents, so it keeps close to them and the nest until the age of one, when it starts to roam freely until it reaches full maturity.

Habitat: It inhabits the subtopic climate zone, the Mediterranean area, from the Maghreb to the Himalayas. The northern borders of its habitat are the Caucasus and Crimea, while the southern are the Sahara, the Arabian Desert, and the Deccan Plateau in India. Its nesting territories in Serbia are the gorges of the rivers Uvac, Milesevska, and Tresnjica, to the west and south-west of the country. Full grown birds colonially concentrate on a wider nesting space, while the younger ones wander in great distances. In the past, it was often hunted and poisoned in Serbia, but its numbers are now on the rise, owing to the improvements in conservation and feeding. In Serbia, there are currently about 60-65 pairs of the Griffon vulture in the western parts of the country, around Zlatar mountain, and also 35 birds in the gorge of the river Tresnjica. The species is also under legal protection from hunting.


Is there a way to prevent further extinction of the endangered species?

We know that there is more than one way to do that, but the most effective and beneficial must be changing our attitude towards the environment and our surroundings. We are a part of nature, and without it we cannot survive. That is why we have to use it properly, and not more than is needed. The process of reusing materials can help to a great extent, because it reduces the exploitation of natural resources, and in that way keeps the whole ecosystem healthy and diverse. Already endangered species are meticulously recorded in the aforementioned Red Book, after which their condition and numbers are regularly followed.
It is also necessary to pass laws which would protect the habitats and establish strict natural reserves, where the activity of man must be reduced to a minimum. Establishing national parks represents the most comprehensive way of protection in our country. In them, man’s harm to nature is reduced to the lowest possible level and as such, they represent the greatest chance for the preservation of unpolluted nature and for an undisturbed development of a large number of plant and animal species.

Rotaract Club of Nis-Constantine the Great – RID 2483, SERBIA

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