International Vulture Awareness Day: Recognizing the Value of Nature’s Clean-Up Crew

Each year, on the first Saturday of September, conservationists, governments, and communities across the globe unite to celebrate International Vulture Awareness Day (IVAD). This day highlights the vital role that vultures play in maintaining healthy ecosystems, safeguarding human well-being, and enriching our cultural and natural heritage and controlling greenhouse gases emissions.

A recent study has put a striking figure on vultures’ importance: in Southern Africa alone, the ecosystem services provided by vultures are valued at approximately USD 1.8 billion per year. These services include removing carcasses, reducing the spread of livestock and human diseases, and supporting eco-tourism. Without vultures, the costs to public health and the environment would be immense. Read the full report

To strengthen government engagement in the implementation of the Vulture Multi-species Action Plan, the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) is supporting the development of regional conservation frameworks such as the recently CMS endorsed  West Africa Vulture Conservation Action Plan and, most recently, the Southern Africa Vulture Conservation Strategy and Action Plan developed by the Southern African Development Community. These initiatives are vital to coordinate responses across borders, share expertise, and mobilize resources to address threats.

Unfortunately, this year’s IVAD also comes with sobering reminders of the dangers vultures face. Poisoning remains the single greatest threat to their survival. In recent months, repeated poisoning events have been reported in The Gambia, while in Greater Kruger National Park several incidents linked to belief-based use have killed dozens of vultures. Such tragedies underscore the urgency of continued collaboration, enforcement, and awareness-raising.

To inspire collective action, CMS Raptors MOU is pleased to share a special interview of André Botha, Chair of the Technical Advisory Group to the Raptors MOU, Co-Chair of the IUCN Vulture Specialist Group where André reflects on his lifelong dedication to vulture conservation, the challenges ahead, and the hope that coordinated efforts can secure a safer future for vultures. André is interview by Munir Virani, a leading raptor conservationists and himself a member of the Technical Advisory Group. Listen to the interview

On this International Vulture Awareness Day, let us celebrate the immense value of vultures, honour the people working tirelessly to protect them, and redouble our commitment to ensuring that these irreplaceable guardians of our skies continue to soar for generations to come.