Environment Society of Oman awarded grant to protect Sultanate’s vultures

Our Correspondent
The Environment Society of Oman (ESO) has been awarded a grant by the Disney Conservation Fund (DCF) for its work to protect Oman’s Vultures, according to a report.

During its 25th anniversary year, the Disney Conservation Fund is proud to continue providing critical support to community-led conservation efforts globally, the Times of Oman newspaper reported.

The fund has been supporting local efforts around the world aimed at saving wildlife, inspiring action and protecting the planet with more than $100 million distributed to non-profit organisations since 1995.

Oman is a stronghold for a number of raptor species whose declining populations are a cause for concern, including the Egyptian Vulture, the Steppe Eagle and the Lappet-faced Vulture.

The fund will support field efforts to survey and monitor the breeding of both Egyptian and Lappet-face vultures, but also include assessing their numbers at dumpsites, electrocution risk assessment and tracking via satellite.

In addition, the project will also undertake advocacy, education, and outreach campaigns about raptors, specifically vultures, in Oman. Initial field work will commence in February 2021 in Muscat and surrounding areas, as well as the Island of Masirah.

Maïa Sarrouf Willson, Research & Conservation Manager at the Environment Society of Oman, said, “Vultures often suffer from negative perceptions yet they play an extremely valuable role in our ecosystem as nature’s waste managers. With support from the Disney Conservation Fund we will be able to understand these endangered species better, share our findings with the conservation community and the wider public, and help us raise awareness of the true value of these species, not just to Oman, but all over the world.”

DCF grant recipients are selected based on their efforts to implement comprehensive community wildlife conservation programmes, stabilise and increase populations of at-risk animals and engage communities in conservation in critical ecosystems around the world.