Apex scavengers from diferent European populations converge at threatened savannah landscapes

Over millennia, human intervention has transformed European habitats mainly through extensive livestock grazing. “Dehesas/Montados” are an Iberian savannah-like ecosystem dominated by oaktrees, bushes and grass species that are subject to agricultural and extensive livestock uses. They are a good example of how large-scale, low intensive transformations can maintain high biodiversity levels as well as socio-economic and cultural values. However, the role that these human-modifed habitats can play for individuals or species living beyond their borders is unknown. Here, using a dataset of 106 adult GPS-tagged Eurasian grifon vultures (Gyps fulvus) monitored over seven years, we show how individuals breeding in western European populations from Northern, Central, and Southern Spain, and Southern France made long-range forays (LRFs) of up to 800 km to converge in the threatened Iberian “dehesas” to forage. There, extensive livestock and wild ungulates provide large amounts of carcasses, which are available to scavengers from traditional exploitations and rewilding processes. Our results highlight that maintaining Iberian “dehesas” is critical not only for local biodiversity but also for long-term conservation and the ecosystem services provided by avian scavengers across the continent.

Te study was funded by Community of Bardenas Reales of Navarra, Parc National des Pyrénées Occidentales (France), ECOTONE Telemetry Grant (26/2017) and the research Projects RNM-1925, P18-RT-1321 and RTI2018-099609-B-C21, C22-EU. ACA was supported by two Postdoc Contracts (I + D + I Retos E-41-202_0456599 and EMERGIA Program) both from Junta de Andalucía. ZMR was supported by the Post-Doc contract APOSTD/2019/016. EA and POV had Pre-Doc contracts from La Caixa-Severo Ochoa and the project CGL2015-66966-C2-1-R2, respectively.

Peer reviewed