False suspicions, lies and horror stories led to the extinction of the bearded vulture at the beginning of the 20th century. The first releases in the Kruml valley in 1986 marked the beginning of the reintroduction of the bearded vulture (Gypaetus barbatus) to the Alps. Thanks to cooperation between breeding networks (zoos and breeding stations), wildlife conservation organizations and protected areas, a total of 251 young vultures have been released throughout the Alps (2023). Since the first successful breeding in the wild in 1997 (France), a total 521 wild-hatched young birds have been produced in the Alpine region.
The Alpine-wide population is currently estimated at around 350 bearded vultures.
Despite the well-established population in the Central Alps, the population in the Eastern Alps and the Southwestern Alps is only growing slowly. In Austria, twelve breeding pairs have established themselves to date, six of them live in the Hohe Tauern and a further six pairs in the Ötztal Alps and Lechtal Alps (2024).
According to the results of annual nest monitoring program, a total of 37 breeding successes have been recorded in Austria between 2010 and 2024. The data shows that the number of breeding successes is now slowly increasing, due to the growing number of sexually mature breeding pairs. Strengthening the eastern Alpine metapopulation as an important ‘stepping stone’ to south-east Europe is one of the most important project objectives.
Despite a growing population, the bearded vulture is still threatened by numerous endangerment factors. Lead poisoning is by far the greatest threat. A transnational solution by banning lead-containing ammunition is a top priority in the Alps-wide project. In addition to poisoning, collisions with wind turbines and low-hanging steel cables also pose a major threat, which must be eliminated in further projects.
The consolidation of the Eastern Alpine population and the associated measures are therefore the overarching goal in order to establish a bearded vulture population in the Alps and Europe that can survive without human help.
