Falcon Conservation www.schoollinksprogramme.org

What is Conservation ?• Conservation is the protection

and wise use of natural resources

• Some examples of natural resources are ;

• Water• Animals• Plants• Fossil fuels

• We must conserve natural resources to ensure their existence for the future

• Without conservation many species could become extinct

Why conserve falcons ?• Falcons are predators - they

hunt other animals for food

• A falcon is a predator at the top of the food chain

• Removing top predators from the food chain unbalances the ecosystem

• When falcons disappear - small prey, like rodents, will increase in huge numbers. This can effect human health and agricultural crops

Biodiversity and falcons • The earth has many

varieties of life forms

• It is important that humans look after and maintain the rich ‘biodiversity’ of our planet

• Falcons have appeared for many centuries in the history, art and folklore of many different world cultures

Threats facing falcons – Habitat loss

• Habitat loss through large scale farming

• Habitat loss can lead to falcons not having enough to eat and limited places to nest

• Habitat loss can lead to falcons becoming endangered or extinct

Threats facing falcons - Persecution • Falcons have been killed by

humans as it is believed that they compete for food

• Falcons are trapped and sold to falconers. Many illegally trapped falcons die when being smuggled over country borders

• These falcons were hidden under a shipment of fish

• Falcons can be overhunted which leads to a drop in the numbers

• These peregrines have been poisoned to stop them eating racing pigeons

Threats facing falcons - Electrocution

• Electrocution can kill falcons, birds of prey and other birds

• Birds perch on power lines, especially in flat areas and can be electrocuted if they touch a live line

• A saker falcon electrocuted on a power line in Qinghai, China

Threats facing falcons - DDT

• In the 1940’s a pesticide called DDT was used by farmers to kill insects that caused damage to crops

• The insects absorbed the chemicals, small birds ate the insects also absorbed the chemicals

• The peregrine falcon ate the small birds and absorbed high concentrations of the DDT chemicals

• These chemicals made the peregrine egg shells very thin and caused the eggs to break when the peregrine sat on them

• This led to huge decline in peregrine numbers – in some areas of the USA this falcon became extinct

Falcon release programmes• During the 1970’s biologists began

breeding falcons in captivity

• Peregrine falcons were bred in captivity and released into the wild in Europe and USA. Today, peregrines are no longer endangered

• There are many examples of falcon re-introduction throughout the world

• This is a re-introduction programme in Bulgaria

Captive breeding• In the past, all falcons used for

falconry were trapped in the wild and sold to falconers

• In the 1970’s falconers recognised the possibilities of breeding falcons in captivity for falconry

• There are now many breeding facilities throughout the world that breed falcons for falconers

• Breeding falcons in captivity means that less falcons are trapped in the wild

Conservation projects• The Environment Agency of Abu

Dhabi funds falcon conservation programs throughout the world

• The Saker falcon is extinct in Bulgaria due to loss of habitat and over hunting. A re-introduction program has started

• 5000 artificial nests have been erected in Mongolia for saker falcons

• Electricity lines are being fitted with perch deterrents to prevent falcons perching near the live power lines

AcknowledgementsMany thanks to the following photographers, falconers and research biologists for images and text used in this PowerPoint :

• Stig Olsen• Chris Johnson• Dimitar Ragyov• Andrew Dixon• Vitaliy Sokolov• Paul Vercammen• Ma Ming• Peter Leek• Lee O’Dwyer