The Problem

1. Vultures, Veterinary Drugs and Human Health: The Unexpected NexusDr Scott PerkinHeadIUCN BiodiversityConservation Programme, Asia

2. The Problem • Over the last two decades, South Asia has witnessed the sudden and dramatic decline of three vulture species: • the white-rumped vulture (Gyps bengalensis); • the Indian vulture (Gyps indicus); and • the slender-billed vulture (Gyps tenuirostris). • Once numbering in the tens of millions, the combined population of these three species has now been reduced by 99 per cent. • All three species are listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and face extinction in the wild.

3. The Cause • The cause of this decline was initially a mystery. Many hypotheses were put forward, including: viruses; pesticides; and the loss of habitat. • It wasn’t until 2003 that research in Pakistan proved conclusively that the cause is diclofenac - a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug which had come into widespread use to treat livestock. • Diclofenac is ingested by vultures when they consume livestock carcasses. Even small amounts of the drug lead to renal failure and death in vultures.

4. The Impacts • The loss of vultures has led to the loss of a critically important ecosystem service. • Animal carcasses which were once consumed by vultures are now being left to rot. In India alone, it is estimated that vultures used to dispose of some 10 million tonnes of carrion per year. • This is leading to an enormous waste disposal problem and to a growing range of health concerns: an increase in the numbers of feral dogs, a rise in the number of dog attacks on humans, and an increased risk of rabies, TB and anthrax. • To give just one example of the scale of the problem: in India, the feral dog population rose from 17-18 million in the 1980s to over 29 million in 2003.

5. Impacts and Economic Costs • The expenditure on medical costs in India attributable to the consequences of the decline in vulture populations has been estimated at Rs 71-78 billion per annum (Markandyaet al, 2008). Additional Impacts: • Groundwater contamination; • Loss of income for farmers, whose fields can become unusable for up to three weeks at a time as a result of rotting carcasses; • The loss of vultures has also had severe social impacts on some communities, such as the Parsis, who traditionally offered their dead to the vultures in “Towers of Silence”.

6. The Response • India, Nepal and Pakistan banned the manufacturing and importation of diclofenac for veterinary use in 2006. Bangladesh imposed a manufacturing ban in 2010. • Captive breeding centres have been started in several countries and are achieving success, albeit on a small scale. • “Vulture Safe Zones” are being established. These are large areas (100 km radius) in which intensive efforts are made to remove diclofenac from the environment. • A South Asia declaration on vultures was adopted by Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan in 2012, calling for conservation efforts to be scaled up and for enhanced regional collaboration.

7. In response to the Regional Declaration, IUCN and its partners are currently developing a proposal to the Global Environment Fund for a South Asia Regional Vulture Recovery Project. The project will aim to: 1) Strengthen policy and legal frameworks 2) Implement targeted education and awareness activities 3) Scale-up captive breeding efforts 4) Strengthen in situ conservation and - when conditions are right - carry out reintroductions to the wild. The South Asia Vulture Recovery Project

8. Help strengthen government efforts to enforce the existing ban on veterinary diclofenac; Address legal loopholes, eg, the continued sale of multi-vial diclofenac for human use which then “leaks” into the livestock sector; Promote and adopt safe alternatives to diclofenac, such as meloxicam ; Promote safety-testing of new NSAIDs to determine their toxicity to vultures before allowing their sale; Harmonize national policies, legislation and drug regimes, so that there is a more consistent framework for vulture conservation and recovery across the region. Project Component 1: Policy and Regulatory Frameworks

9. A Regional Steering Committee with representatives from Bangladesh, India, Nepal and Pakistan has been fully operationalized and has met three times; National Vulture Recovery Committees are being established in each country, with representatives from both government and civil society; Regional and national vulture recovery action plans are being prepared; The proposal to GEF is on track for submission in 2014; There are also plans to carry out an economic valuation of the services provided by vultures (a “TEEB for Vultures” study) in collaboration with UNEP. Current Status

10. The ban on diclofenac for veterinary use seems to be working. Sampling in the field has shown that the proportion of cattle carcasses containing diclofenac has been reduced significantly. Vulture numbers also appear to be stabilizing. The case study highlights many different issues, including: The dependence of human wellbeing on biodiversity and healthy ecosystems; The difficulty of predicting the impacts on biodiversity and ecosystems (Who would have thought that a painkiller would have such devastating effects?); The speed at which changes in ecological systems can occur; The key role of legislation in the conservation effort and the importance of being able to take swift action; The key role of science to inform decision making. Some Final Thoughts…

11. Thank you for listening! For more information, please contact: Scott Perkin Head, IUCN Biodiversity Conservation Programme, Asia Scott.perkin@iucn.org