Vultures provide ecosystem services to the tune of $1.8 billion annually in Southern Africa, according to a report released by BirdLife International on February 25, 2025.
The $1.8 billion figure includes bequest values, sanitation and pest control services, as per the study, which focussed on Botswana, Zimbabwe and Zambia, a statement by BirdLife International noted.
This finding is significant as Africa is home to eleven species of vultures. Seven face the risk of extinction, listed as Vulnerable, Endangered or Critically endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Like in Asia, in Africa too, vultures have experienced alarming declines, with African vulture populations plummeting by 80-97 per cent over the last five decades, with some species facing a decline of over 92 per cent.
The main threats to vultures on the continent include poisoning (responsible for 61 per cent of recorded vulture deaths across Africa); belief-based use (29 per cent); and electrocution by energy infrastructure (9 per cent).
For instance, incidents such as a mass poisoning in Botswana in 2019 resulted in the death of over 500 Critically Endangered vultures.
Halting and reversing these declines is imperative to prevent vultures from becoming extinct.
The report also highlights that if action is not taken to conserve vultures, the welfare loss will amount to approximately US $47 million per year. On the other hand, conservation actions will lead to welfare gains of US $ 30 million per year.
Researchers carried out an economic valuation of the ecosystem services provided by vultures in Southern Africa by collecting data through literature review and four surveys targeting different beneficiary groups. These were local communities in the Kavango Zambezi Transfrontier Conservation Area, the general public within each country, the international public, and rangers and park managers.
“Further work is required to be able to quantify the full value of vultures in controlling diseases in livestock and wildlife, which would enable a holistic One Health perspective on the value of this ecosystem service,” according to the researchers.