SCOPE BIRDS AND THE IMPORTANCE OF MULADARES
In Spain, the implanted legislation makes it impossible to leave dead animals at the point of the field where they have died and on the other hand, it produces the disqualification of many muladars for not complying with the conditions imposed. Given this, a body collection system is established for each Autonomous Community to be eliminated in incinerators or transformed into other products.
Previously, animals from livestock could be left abandoned at the same point where they died. The other option of the farmer was to transport the dead cattle to the muladars that act as a strong feeding point for these necrophagous birds.
This disappearance of food in nature for scavenging birds and other optionwhich enter recovery centers. The most impact are reflected below:
- Birds suffer from malnutrition and the number of vultures admitted to recovery centers has raised considerably in all autonomous communities. Malnutrition is the cause that clarifies the lack of food. Considering all necrophagous raptors, the entry of specimens of these birds in official recovery centers of ten autonomous communities increase in 680% in 2006 compared to 2002. Then, these income has been reduced due to the decrease in productivity of necrophic birds. In 2006, 150% increase with respect to the previous year the copies of gross vulture and black vulture entered into recovery centers in the Autonomous Communities of Aragon, Castilla La Mancha, Valencian Community and Extremadura. The Colonia de Buitre Leonado of the Hoces of the Riaza River occurred a decrease in the number of reproductive couples, of the number of flown chickens and the low reproductive success in relation to previous years, descents attributed to the reduction in the availability of food.
- Decrease in reproduction success of the four Iberian vultures. This can be a change in population growth tendency of vulture populations, being influenced by competition, both inter and intraespecifies, due to food shortage.
- Variation of some behaviors caused by the lack of food, such as finding groups of vultures in unusual places, on the ground of a land without food, on trees, or even inn on house roofs in populations near their sleeping men.The observations made in the muladars of Cozcurrita and Aldeadávila show leoned vultures and alimoches perched in the enclosure fence without food. Also, when there is a food contribution, the vultures take about a minute to go to feed, which shows that the area remains waiting for the food intake.Another change in behavior is the increase in attacks by vultures to live livestock, normally to cattle that are sick, they are giving birth or newborn offspring. An increase in the number of attacks was recorded, from 60 cases in 2002 to more than 300 in 2010.
- The geographical distribution area of necrophagous raptors is changing, which is linked to food availability.The Ligue Pour La Protection des oiseaux (LPO/BirdLife) have also checked and informed to SEO/BirdLife that numerous specimens of leoned vultures, especially young people from Spanish colonies, are crossing the Pyrenees and even reaching the French central massif, dispersingso long distances in search of food (Blas Melero, M. And Hernando, J., 2006).
- Dependency of food contributions in muladars for its food, causes competition between the different vultures and other optional necrophic birds due to the domain of the areas closest to the fenced feeders, directly affecting the reproductive success of the species.
The application of the European health standard not only affects necrophagous birds and other optional species, but the livestock sector is negatively influenced in its economy. First, you have to pay the collection insurance costs to which it referred to before, and on the other hand, of the attacks produced by the vultures to cattle alive, although in most cases they are compensated by the administrations. The number of attacks by vulture to livestock animals has been increased, for example, in the northeastern peninsular it went from 60 attacks in 2004 to 2006 in 2006.
It is worth highlighting the increase of GHG issued in the transport of living cattle to transformation or elimination plants. The artificial withdrawal of corpses involves the issuance of a minimum of 77.000 metric tons of GHT every year. Which reflects that supplanting the ecological function of scavengers not only affects the conservation of these species, but also affects the environment being a contraindication to the fight against climate change.
Role of muladars
With the growth of livestock activity and transport of goods through mules and oxen, a consequence due to the growth of the human population, the carrion available for necrophagous birds in the field was modified. Formerly, the arrangement of carrion was linked to the disposition of wild ungulates, but since the mid -nineteenth century, the presence of these wild ungulates is diminished being replaced by domestic ungulates linked to livestock and transport of goods. Due to this change, muladars appear as areas for the deposition of cattle bodies.
The geographical arrangement of scavengers is linked to the presence of wild or domestic ungulates, so this change or replace.
Muladars have always served as feed points for scavengers. Since the appearance of crazy cows disease and their consequent legislation, many mulators of Spain were disabled or did not receive the same burden of corpses, producing food shortages for vultures and other optional species, which demonstrates the importance of their existence, as food point for these species.
Different conservation projects for scavenging birds, demonstrate the need for controlled feeders, emulating traditional mulators, as a key tool for the management of scavenging birds, since it involves a necessary food supply, allowing the recolonization of areas where thescavengers, keep the number of populations individuals and reduce the risk of bird poisoning.
As we saw earlier, supplementary food also has negative effects on populations of scavenging birds such as the change of distribution area, search method and champion, territorial compression, changes in the production of these species, increased ITRA and interesting competition, amongothers.
The creation of the ZPaen is a very important advance for the conservation of scavengers, but this is not enough by itself but it needs the use of muladars distributed in strategic areas and thus ensure population centers of permanent permanent birds.
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