Environment Society of Oman – Raptors Research & Conservation Programme

Project overview

The Environment Society of Oman (ESO) runs a Raptors Research and Conservation Programme, initiated in 2012, to protect and maintain the favorable conservation status of raptors in Oman. The country hosts over 30 raptor species, including endangered ones like the Egyptian vulture (Neophron percnopterus) and the lappet-faced vulture (Torgos tracheliotos). ESO’s research focuses primarily on these vultures and the steppe eagle, aiming to understand population sizes, nesting sites, reproduction, and behavioral ecology.

One pioneering aspect of the program has been fitting satellite trackers and rings to juvenile lappet-faced vultures, enabling detailed study of their daily, seasonal, and yearly movements related to feeding and breeding. Similar tracking efforts have been applied to Egyptian vultures and steppe eagles.

Besides research, ESO engages in community outreach to raise awareness about the ecological importance of raptors and promotes conservation-friendly behaviors. The program also contributes to policy advocacy and continuous research efforts to fill knowledge gaps about these species.

The initiative has produced blogs to track the movements of endangered vultures, and free awareness booklets in both Arabic and English. Overall, ESO’s ongoing work seeks to safeguard Oman’s raptors through scientific study, community involvement, and conservation action.

This program highlights the crucial role raptors play in maintaining clean ecosystems through their scavenging and predatory behaviors, underscoring the need for their protection in Oman.

Key outcomes / expected outputs

Monitoring data, capacity building, publications, satellite tracking, ringing, publications.

Geography & target species

Regions / provinces: Arabian Peninsula
Project sites: Hajar Mountains
Target species or groups: Egyptian vulture, Lappet-faced vultures, steppe eagles
Additional location information: Sultanate of Oman

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