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Why Conservation Science Literacy?

Logo of International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources.  The IUCN Red List of Threatened  Species™ is  widely recognized as the most comprehensive, objective global approach for evaluating the conservation status of plant and animal species.
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​Conservation biology is a complex, multi-disciplinary field that is still evolving to meet the rapid rate of Earth's biodiversity loss. ​
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According to the Society of Conservation Biology:

• "There is a biodiversity crisis because the current rate of extinction is about 100-1,000 times faster than the natural rate.
• Besides diminishing the natural world around us, scientists believe that this loss of biodiversity will harm people.

• ​This is because we depend on nature for food, medicines (such as cancer treatments), industrial products (such as oils and resins), and vital ecosystem services (such as water purification, erosion control, and climate control)."​​​

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Why Vultures?

• Earth's 23 vulture species provide vital ecosystems services on every continent except Australia and Antarctica.  ​

However, according to the scientists at BirdLife International:

​"Worldwide, vultures are considered one of the most threatened groups of birds. Eleven African-Eurasian species are at risk of extinction in our lifetimes." ​


"It's too important not to put this in perspective:

• Across Asia, Africa and Europe, vultures are in serious trouble. These unsung heroes face mass poisonings, catastrophic and unprecedented population declines, and negative perceptions – when in fact they are nature's sanitary workers, worthy of celebration.

• If effective action is not taken now, 11 of 16 vulture species in Africa, Asia and Europe are at risk of extinction in our lifetimes (8 are categorised as Critically Endangered; 3 are Endangered).
• Their loss would be disastrous for human health (and economies) too.

This is why the BirdLife Partnership is working across three continents, and through international policy
to save our so-ugly-they-are-beautiful and important disease-defeating vultures."

 Find out more about BirdLife's vulture conservation, and what you can do.

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​Engaging the Next Generation ​of Citizens
As future decision makers, kids need to learn about vultures and their vital ecosystem services.

​The recent Asian vulture crisis (which saw 3 species of Gyps vultures collapse by about 97% over a 10 year period during the late 1990s) has provided scientific evidence that vultures provide the essential ecosystem services of purifying ecosystems and preventing the spread of diseases. (Statistic source from the 2015 Scientific Study: Another Continental Vulture Crisis: Africa's Vultures Collapsing toward Extinction. Conservation Letters.)
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