National Vulture Conservation Programme: Objectives, Components and Institutional Setup

Vultures serve as natural scavengers in ecosystems, consuming livestock carcasses and preventing the spread of diseases such as rabies and anthrax. During the 1990s and 2000s, India experienced a catastrophic crash in vulture populations, with certain Gyps species declining by over 99 percent. Research identified the primary cause of this collapse as visceral gout and kidney failure triggered by feeding on cattle carcasses containing the veterinary painkiller diclofenac. To reverse this decline, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) introduced structured interventions, culminating in the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation (APVC) 2020–2025. This programme combines drug regulation, captive breeding, habitat protection, and international coordination.

Vulture Species in India and Status

India hosts nine species of vultures, five of which belong to the resident breeding category and four to migratory or localized wild populations. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorizes several of these species under high-risk threat levels.

Core Objectives of the Conservation Programme

The Action Plan for Vulture Conservation focuses on eliminating chemical threats from livestock food chains while restoring wild populations.

Primary Administrative Objectives

• Stop toxic Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) from entering cattle carcass food sources.
• Regulate the sale and distribution of veterinary medications through prescription-only mechanisms.
• Expand conservation breeding initiatives to release captive-reared vultures into safe natural habitats.
• Create designated Vulture Safe Zones across major Indian states to ensure threat-free foraging corridors.
• Conduct periodic, standardized nationwide population counts to track species recovery trends.

Key Components of the Action Plan

The national strategy combines regulatory enforcement, ex-situ breeding, habitat management, and veterinary safety testing.

Regulation of Veterinary NSAIDs

• Ban on Diclofenac: The Drugs Controller General of India (DCGI) banned the veterinary use of diclofenac in 2006. In 2015, human multi-dose vials were restricted to single 3 ml doses to prevent illegal agricultural diversion.
• Additional NSAID Bans: The government expanded restrictions by banning veterinary use of aceclofenac and ketoprofen, which metabolize into diclofenac or exhibit direct toxicity in vultures.
• Safety Testing Framework: Every new veterinary painkiller must undergo safety testing on vultures before receiving commercial marketing authorization.
• Safe Alternatives: The programme promotes vulture-safe alternatives like meloxicam and tolfenamic acid for livestock treatment.

Conservation Breeding and Rescue Infrastructure

• Vulture Conservation and Breeding Centres (VCBC): India operates nine breeding centers managed jointly by state forest departments, the Central Zoo Authority (CZA), and the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS).
• Target Species Expansion: Captive breeding programmes initially focused on the three Gyps species and later expanded to include the Red-headed Vulture and Egyptian Vulture.
• Regional Rescue Centres: The action plan provides for establishing four specialized vulture rescue centers in Pinjore (North), Bhopal (Central), Guwahati (Northeast), and Hyderabad (South).

Vulture Safe Zones (VSZs) and Vulture Restaurants

• Vulture Safe Zones cover a minimum radius of 100 kilometers around existing wild colonies.
• Within a VSZ, pharmacies and cattle carcass samples undergo systematic testing for two consecutive years to verify zero toxic NSAID presence.
• Vulture Restaurants supply uncontaminated, drug-free carcasses at dedicated feeding sites to support wild feeding and chick survival.

Institutional Setup and Governance

Conserving vultures requires inter-ministerial coordination and scientific collaboration between central agencies and state authorities.

Institutional Roles and Framework

Key Facts and Vulture Conservation Trivia for Quick Revision

• Diclofenac causes acute kidney failure (visceral gout) in vultures due to the inability of their renal system to excrete uric acid.
• Just 0.4% to 0.7% of livestock carcasses contaminated with diclofenac was sufficient to decimate 99% of India’s Gyps vulture population.
• Jatayu Conservation Breeding Centre at Pinjore in Haryana is the world’s first facility established to breed Indian Gyps vultures.
• Pinjore hosted the first successful wild reintroduction of captive-bred White-rumped and Indian Vultures fitted with satellite transmitters.
• Meloxicam and tolfenamic acid are scientifically validated as safe NSAID alternatives for livestock that do not harm vultures.
• The Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS) launched the Vulture Care Centre at Pinjore in 2001, which later expanded into a full breeding facility.
• Jharkhand established a dedicated Vulture Restaurant in Koderma district to supply drug-free carcasses to wild populations.
• The Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 grants Schedule I protection to the White-rumped Vulture, Indian Vulture, Slender-billed Vulture, and Red-headed Vulture.
• Under the Action Plan 2020–2025, every Indian state aims to establish at least one functional Vulture Safe Zone.
• The Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) adopted the Vulture Multi-Species Action Plan (Vulture MsAP) at COP12 in 2017.