Environment Minister Urges 'Vulture Safe Zones' as Nesting Sites Drop by 72%

Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav called for urgent, persistent efforts to establish designated 'Vulture Safe Zones' across the country. The directive comes after recent wildlife monitoring data revealed that vultures have disappeared from nearly 72% of their historically recorded nesting sites across India, threatening ecological balance.

Vulture populations in South Asia plummeted by over 99% during the 1990s and 2000s, primarily due to veterinary use of Diclofenac, a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) toxic to scavengers. Although India banned veterinary Diclofenac in 2006, other harmful drugs like Aceclofenac, Ketoprofen, and Nimesulide continue to pose severe risks to surviving populations.

India is home to nine species of vultures, including the critically endangered Oriental White-backed, Long-billed, and Slender-billed vultures. A Vulture Safe Zone (VSZ) entails a minimum 100-kilometer radius free of toxic veterinary drugs around key breeding colonies, supplemented by captive breeding programs under the Action Plan for Vulture Conservation 2020-2025.

Vultures act as nature's scavengers, preventing disease spread from animal carcasses. This development is vital for UPSC Prelims environment questions covering IUCN red list statuses, veterinary NSAID bans, and VSZ criteria, as well as Mains GS Paper 3 questions on biodiversity loss and ecosystem services.