Young Wildlife Activist Engage with AOS for Bird Conservation

TIRANA, August 4

The love for wildlife preservation and outdoor pursuits helped involve the first youth conservation network in Albania in a new mission for the conservation of birds and their habitats in the Drino River Valley, Gjirokastra area. Their goal is to monitor, map, and make a risk assessment of power lines in breeding territories of large raptors like the Egyptian Vulture, falcons, and other birds as well as to raise awareness about the importance of birds and their habitats to maintain a healthy environment, and to promote community-led conservation.

The Albanian Ornithological Society and the Conservation Youth Club of Gjirokastra cannot complete their task with the speed of the magnificent Egyptian Vulture, but they will make sure that birds can rest on avian-friendly power lines. Both groups are working to reduce and mitigate the electrocution of the Egyptian Vulture, the Lesser Kestrel, and other wildlife on utility poles and infrastructure. The monitoring was carried out by waling under power lines for a distance of ten km.
Their goal is to monitor over 42 km of power lines in the area. The participation 12 young activists for the area is important given that the Drino Valley is a nesting site for the Egyptian Vultures that prefer to nest on rock ledges close to suitable feeding habitats and water bodies.
The migratory Egyptian Vulture is unfortunately considered Endangered at a global level. In Albania, numbers of Egyptian Vultures dropped significantly due to hunting, illegal wildlife poisoning, and electrocution. The numbers of the Egyptian Vulture declined at the point when a few people can say they have seen one. However, the Conservation Youth Club of Gjirokastra can consider themselves lucky as their fieldwork was rewarded with the sightings of an Egyptian Vulture.

“We believe that these young people will play an active role in helping with various conservation issues in the future, thus becoming a role model for their peers,” AOS said about the event.

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Source/Photo Credit: AOS