New project aims to reduce threats to Egyptian vultures in Chad
The story at a glance
The EU co-funded LIFE EV Safe Return project was launched on 10 October 2026. Coordinated by the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, it brings together 15 organisations and institutions and is planned to run until 2031.12
Sahara Conservation says its work in Chad will focus on the Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve and the area around Lake Fitri, working with local authorities and communities to reduce threats to vultures. These are stated plans, not reported conservation results.13
The story in brief
What you need to know
- The project is a cross-border effort focused on Egyptian vultures along their migratory route. Its announced scope brings together partners from multiple organisations, but the available material does not set out the contribution of each partner in detail.12
- Project partners identify poisoning, poaching or other illegal killing, and electrocution on unsafe power infrastructure as threats to address along the route. The announcements describe these as route-wide concerns rather than providing a separate assessment of each threat at the Chad sites.2
- In Chad, the two named intervention areas are the Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve and the area around Lake Fitri. Sahara Conservation says it plans to work with authorities and local communities there, but has not specified the field activities in the material supplied.3
- Partner announcements also refer to engagement with local leaders and traditional medicine practitioners in Africa. They do not explain how that engagement will be organised at the two Chad locations.2
- Separate reporting by Mongabay describes poisoning and trapping concerns affecting vultures in Chad, including possible links to demand in West African markets. This provides context on regional threats, but it is not evidence of the new project’s impact or a specific finding about Egyptian vultures.5
Conservation context
Why this matters
Conservation planning in Chad faces a documented evidence gap: a 2026 study says the status of several vulture species remains poorly documented. Its research concerns vultures around N’Djamena and does not establish the status of Egyptian vultures in Chad.4
The developing story
What happens next
The project is planned to continue until 2031. Key questions for its delivery include which activities, targets and monitoring methods will be used at the Chad sites, and what measurable results will be reported. The supplied material contains aims but no evaluation of outcomes.13
Established evidence
What we know
- The project coordinator is the Bulgarian Society for the Protection of Birds, and the project is co-funded by the EU LIFE Programme.12
- The project includes 15 organisations and institutions and is scheduled to run until 2031.12
- Sahara Conservation is a partner and has named two areas for planned work in Chad: the Ouadi Rimé–Ouadi Achim Faunal Reserve and the area around Lake Fitri.13
- A peer-reviewed study of vultures around N’Djamena reports gaps in knowledge about the conservation status of several species; it is not an assessment of LIFE EV Safe Return.4
Open questions
What we don't know
- The supplied announcements do not specify the field activities, targets, monitoring methods or detailed timelines for Sahara Conservation’s work at the named Chad sites.3
- The available research does not establish baseline numbers or trends for Egyptian vultures in Chad, or show how project monitoring will distinguish this species’ trends from those of other vultures.4
- No measurable results or independent evaluation of the project’s effects in Chad are reported in the supplied material.123
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