A Debreceni Déri Múzeum Évkönyve 2004 (Debrecen, 2005)

Természettudomány - Dudás Miklós: Conservation possibilities of the European vulture species nowadays in the Carpathian Basin

Miklós Dudás CONSERVATION POSSIBILITIES OF THE EUROPEAN VULTURE SPECIES NOWADAYS IN THE CARPATHIAN BASIN Until the middle of the last century there wasn't a rare occassion to see a vulture in Hungary, mainly in the Hortobágy region. Griffon Vulture, Black Vulture and Egyptian Vulture regularly appeared in the Great Plain, where ten-thousands of domestic animals were kept extensively on the huge grassland. High presence of vultures in those times is explainable by the nearness of traditional nesting sites as Bihar mountains and the Transsylvanián part of the Carpathians,etc, where from food-searching vagrants could come easily. Recently vulture experts have made strong international effort to reintroduct these birds to their original habitat in several country (Italy, France, Austria, Switzerland), where these species disappeared from. It seems to be a serious chance to start a Slovakian-Rumanian-Hungarian project for the vultures. An internationally acknowledged organization, LPO would provide the work to revive the marvellous vultures again as a result of a collaboration, and to help them to populate the plains and mountains of our national parks without borders, as parts of World Heritage. 24