Numbers had dropped to around 60 in 2014 due to poisoning and habitat pressures. EU-backed projects improved food access, reduced threats and restored habitats, enabling a steady recovery and stabilising the island’s only remaining native vulture population.

Credits: Unsplash; Author: Joseph Bouvier;

The recovery highlights how targeted conservation, funding and community engagement can reverse severe biodiversity loss. Vultures play a crucial ecological role by removing carcasses and limiting disease spread, meaning their return strengthens ecosystem health. The case offers a replicable model for species restoration across Europe, especially where human-driven threats like poisoning remain the primary cause of decline.