Cattle faces a growing threat from a protected vulture spreading north amid climate change – Fortune

Report on Black Vulture Expansion and its Impact on Sustainable Development Goals

Executive Summary

An expanding population of black vultures (Coragyps atratus), driven by climate change, is creating significant human-wildlife conflict with livestock producers in the United States. This issue directly intersects with several United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), particularly those concerning food security, economic stability, climate action, and biodiversity. This report analyzes the conflict’s drivers, its socio-economic impacts, current mitigation strategies, and the ecological considerations necessary for sustainable management.

Analysis of Conflict Drivers and Socio-Economic Impacts

Climate Change and Habitat Alteration (SDG 13: Climate Action)

The primary driver for the northward expansion of the black vulture’s range is climate change. The species, historically native to the southeastern U.S. and Latin America, is now able to thrive farther north due to milder winters.

• Warmer average temperatures reduce winter mortality and allow the species to establish permanent populations in new regions.
• Increased human development in suburban and rural areas provides additional food sources, such as roadkill, which supports population growth and expansion.

Threats to Food Security and Economic Growth (SDG 2: Zero Hunger & SDG 8: Decent Work and Economic Growth)

The conflict poses a direct threat to the agricultural sector, undermining efforts to achieve food security and sustain economic livelihoods.

• Black vultures have been observed preying on vulnerable newborn livestock, particularly calves, causing significant economic losses for farmers.
• The loss of livestock directly impacts the food supply chain, challenging the stability of food production systems as outlined in SDG 2.
• For small and large-scale farmers, these losses threaten the economic viability of their operations, jeopardizing decent work and local economic growth as targeted by SDG 8.

Mitigation Strategies and Policy Responses

Current Agricultural Adaptation Practices

In response to the threat, farmers have implemented various non-lethal and limited lethal control measures to protect their livestock and contribute to sustainable production systems (SDG 12: Responsible Consumption and Production).

1. Enhanced Livestock Management: Moving calving and lambing activities to protected areas, such as barns, and increasing supervision of newborns.
2. Use of Guardian Animals: Employing trained dogs to patrol pastures and deter predators.
3. Deterrents and Effigies: Using scarecrow-like effigies, often of deceased vultures, to frighten flocks away from calving areas.
4. Depredation Permits: Obtaining federal permits that allow for the limited and regulated culling of a small number of birds.

Proposed Legislative Changes

Agricultural industry groups are advocating for policy changes to address the economic damage. A bill introduced in the U.S. Congress aims to allow livestock owners to kill black vultures without a federal permit when their animals are threatened. This proposal highlights the tension between economic protection and wildlife conservation frameworks.

Ecological Considerations and Sustainable Management (SDG 15: Life on Land)

The Ecological Role of Vultures

Balancing agricultural needs with environmental stewardship is central to SDG 15. Black vultures, despite their predatory behavior on farms, play a vital ecological role.

• As scavengers, they are critical for ecosystem sanitation, efficiently disposing of carcasses and helping to prevent the spread of disease.
• The species is protected under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, reflecting its importance to biodiversity, though it is not classified as endangered.

Pathways to Sustainable Coexistence

Experts caution that widespread, unregulated culling could have unintended negative consequences on the ecosystem. A sustainable solution requires a balanced approach.

• Further research is needed to quantify the precise impact of vultures on livestock mortality compared to other causes and to understand the broader ecological effects of their removal.
• Developing integrated management strategies that combine non-lethal deterrents with targeted, science-based lethal controls is essential for protecting both agricultural livelihoods and terrestrial ecosystems, in line with the objectives of SDG 15.

Analysis of Sustainable Development Goals in the Article

1. Which SDGs are addressed or connected to the issues highlighted in the article?

   The article discusses issues that connect to several Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily focusing on the interplay between climate change, biodiversity, and agricultural livelihoods.

   • SDG 2: Zero Hunger

     This goal is relevant because the article focuses on the challenges faced by cattle farmers, who are key food producers. The attacks by black vultures on newborn calves directly impact food production systems and cause significant economic losses for farmers, threatening their livelihoods and the sustainability of their operations. The article notes that a single calf can be worth “upward of $1,000 or $2,000,” and for a small farm, “any loss would be severely detrimental to our small business.”

   • SDG 13: Climate Action

     This goal is explicitly connected as the article states that the northward expansion of the black vultures’ range is happening “in part due to climate change.” It specifies that “Warmer winters on average, fueled by climate change, are making it easier for the birds to stay in places that used to be too cold for them.” This highlights a direct ecological consequence of a changing climate, which in turn creates new challenges for local communities and ecosystems.

   • SDG 15: Life on Land

     This goal is central to the article’s theme of human-wildlife conflict. It discusses the black vulture, a protected species under the Migratory Bird Treaty Act, and its changing habitat and population range. The article explores the tension between protecting this species and managing its negative impact on livestock. The debate over issuing depredation permits and introducing legislation to allow for more culling touches directly on the management of protected species and the health of local ecosystems.

2. What specific targets under those SDGs can be identified based on the article’s content?

   Based on the issues discussed, several specific SDG targets can be identified:

   • SDG 2: Zero Hunger

     • Target 2.3: “By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers…” The article highlights the threat to farmers’ incomes due to livestock loss, which works against this target. The financial value of lost calves is a direct measure of the impact on farmers’ economic well-being and productivity.
     • Target 2.4: “By 2030, ensure sustainable food production systems and implement resilient agricultural practices that increase productivity and production, that help maintain ecosystems, that strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change…” The article describes farmers attempting to implement resilient practices to adapt to the new threat. Examples include moving calving seasons, keeping newborns “closer to the barns,” and using Great Pyrenees dogs to patrol fields.

   • SDG 13: Climate Action

     • Target 13.1: “Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards and natural disasters in all countries.” The expanding vulture population is presented as a climate-related hazard for farmers. Their efforts to protect their livestock, such as building scarecrows from dead vultures or moving animals into barns, are examples of attempts to build resilience and adapt to this changing environmental condition.

   • SDG 15: Life on Land

     • Target 15.5: “Take urgent and significant action to reduce the degradation of natural habitats, halt the loss of biodiversity and, by 2020, protect and prevent the extinction of threatened species.” The article discusses a protected, non-endangered species whose range is expanding due to climate change and human development (“development means cars, and cars mean roadkill”). The conflict arises from the need to manage this species while upholding its protected status.
     • Target 15.7: “Take urgent action to end poaching and trafficking of protected species of flora and fauna…” While not about poaching, this target is relevant to the management of protected species. The discussion around “depredation permits” and the proposed bill to “let farmers capture or kill any black vulture” relates directly to the legal framework for managing and controlling protected wildlife populations to mitigate human-wildlife conflict.

3. Are there any indicators mentioned or implied in the article that can be used to measure progress towards the identified targets?

   The article contains several explicit and implied indicators that could be used to measure the issues and any progress toward the identified targets.

   • Indicators for SDG 2 (Zero Hunger)

     • Economic loss from livestock deaths: The article explicitly quantifies this by stating that “calves can be worth hundreds of dollars or upward of $1,000 or $2,000.” This serves as a direct indicator of the economic impact on farmers (Target 2.3).
     • Number of livestock killed by vultures: While no total number is given, farmers mention losing calves, implying that the frequency of such events is a key metric of the problem’s severity (Target 2.3).
     • Adoption of resilient agricultural practices: The article mentions several adaptive strategies used by farmers (moving calves, using guard dogs, changing calving seasons). The number or percentage of farms adopting these measures could serve as an indicator of adaptation (Target 2.4).

   • Indicators for SDG 13 (Climate Action)

     • Geographic range of black vulture populations: The article states that the birds’ range is expanding northward due to warmer winters. Tracking this expansion over time is a direct indicator of a climate change-induced ecological shift (Target 13.1).

   • Indicators for SDG 15 (Life on Land)

     • Number of depredation permits issued: The article mentions that farmers can get permits “to shoot a few birds each year.” The number of permits issued and utilized is a quantifiable measure of the official response to the human-wildlife conflict (Target 15.7).
     • Changes in legislation regarding protected species: The introduction and potential passage of the bill that would “let farmers capture or kill any black vulture” is an indicator of policy changes affecting the management of protected wildlife (Target 15.7).
     • Population trends of black vultures: Although not explicitly quantified, the article implies an increasing presence of vultures in new areas. Formal monitoring of their population size and density would be an indicator related to biodiversity management (Target 15.5).

4. Table of SDGs, Targets, and Indicators

   SDGs	Targets	Indicators
   SDG 2: Zero Hunger	2.3: Increase incomes and productivity of small-scale food producers. 2.4: Implement resilient agricultural practices and strengthen capacity for adaptation to climate change.	– Monetary value of livestock lost to vultures (e.g., “$1,000 or $2,000” per calf). – Number of calves killed by vultures. – Number of farmers adopting adaptive strategies (e.g., using guard dogs, moving calves to barns).
   SDG 13: Climate Action	13.1: Strengthen resilience and adaptive capacity to climate-related hazards.	– Northward expansion of the black vulture’s geographic range due to warmer winters.
   SDG 15: Life on Land	15.5: Halt biodiversity loss and protect threatened species. 15.7: Take action to manage protected species and address human-wildlife conflict.	– Population trends and density of black vultures in new territories. – Number of depredation permits issued to farmers annually. – Status of legislation designed to alter the protected status or management of black vultures.

Source: fortune.com