PONT visits Pindos to learn about the work for the Egyptian vulture and traditional livestock keeping
Around the end of June 2024, representatives of the Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT) travelled to Western Greece to meet with the partners of a new project dedicated to the conservation of the Egyptian Vulture.
Aiming at having a first-hand experience of the work the Hellenic Ornithological Society (HOS/BirdLife Greece) and the Ecomuseum Zagori do in the area, the people of PONT had the opportunity to learn more about the Egyptian Vulture and its strong connection to transhumant herding, a traditional way of life and livestock breeding that -similarly to the threatened vulture- is slowly disappearing from the Greek countryside.
The visit started from the valley of Konitsa and continued to Pogoni, where PONT’s representatives met with livestock breeders from the local network of land users, established a decade ago by HOS.
While at Pogoni, the local breeders informed the people of the Trust about the predator prevention tools they use (e.g. foxlights, solar panels for electricity etc.). These tools were provided by HOS within the scope of the project and so far have been very effective in protecting their livestock against attacks from wolves and other predators.
The group then headed to Zagori and the village of Elafotopos where members of the local NGO The Pokari Project showcased how their efforts for the revival of the Greek wool production support the conservation of more traditional livestock breeding methods, like transhumant herding.
Walking down a typical mountain trail of the area, the group later arrived at Kalyvia for a test use of the EchoLoci app created by the Zagori Ecomuseum. This innovative application aims at documenting and promoting the biodiversity of Zagori, as well as the routes that transhumant herds follow for thousands of years, in the form of soundscapes.
Several events will take place in Pindos until the end of this year, including presentations, workshops for kids, a photo exhibition, video screenings and many more actions mainly focused on the communities of Zagori and Pogoni and the surrounding area which is critical for the survival of the Egyptian Vulture.
Η υλοποίηση του Προγράμματος για την προστασία του γύπα Ασπροπάρη και της παραδοσιακής, μετακινούμενης κτηνοτροφίας στην Πίνδο, με τη χρηματοδότηση του Prespa Ohrid Nature Trust (PONT), έχει στόχο την ενίσχυση των προσπαθειών για την προστασία του απειλούμενου Ασπροπάρη, δίνοντας εξίσου σημαντική έμφαση στη διαφύλαξη της μετακινούμενης κτηνοτροφίας, που και αυτή, όπως και ο γύπας-σύμβολο της ελληνικής υπαίθρου, κινδυνεύει με εξαφάνιση στη χώρα μας.
Στην Ελλάδα έχουν απομείνει σήμερα μόνο πέντε ζευγάρια Ασπροπάρη και η ευρύτερη περιοχή της Κόνιτσας, μαζί με το Ζαγόρι και το Πωγώνι, αποτελεί κλειδί για την ανάκαμψη του είδους στην Ελλάδα καθώς προσελκύει πουλιά από τις γειτονικές χώρες.