High-Tech GPS Trackers and Farmer-managed feeding stations to restore and protect the Vultures in the Baronnies massif.
100% of your gift goes to the project
Founded in 1992, Vautours en Baronnies works to reintroduce and monitor the four vulture species found in Europe in the Baronnies mountain range. The association is based in Rémuzat, in the Drôme region of southeastern France.
After more than a century of absence, vultures gradually returned to the skies of the Baronnies thanks to the reintroduction programmes led by the association. The Griffon Vulture was reintroduced from 1996, followed by the Cinereous Vulture in 2004 and the Bearded Vulture from 2016. The Egyptian Vulture returned naturally.
Since its creation, Vautours en Baronnies has carried out many actions to protect vultures and their habitats:
The reintroduction of the Bearded Vulture is still ongoing.
Monitoring breeding pairs and populations.
Ringing reintroduced birds and some chicks born in the wild. Adults are also captured for health and scientific monitoring.
Tracking the birds’ movements and their survival.
Poisoning, electrocution on power lines, illegal shooting, disturbance and more.
Setting up and running a natural carcass disposal service with local farmers.
Guided visits and educational activities about vultures and biodiversity, for the public and for schools.
A museum that welcomes more than 15,000 visitors a year, free of charge.
Where each of the four species stands in the Baronnies today.
Photo: C. Tessier Vautour fauve
Reintroduced from 1996, the Griffon Vulture is one of the main successes of the reintroduction programmes in the Baronnies. Its colony is now the largest in the Alps, with around 370 breeding pairs.
Photo: C. Tessier Vautour moine
France’s rarest vulture. Reintroduced from 2004 after it had disappeared from France completely. France now has three population areas, all of them the result of reintroduction programmes. Despite these efforts the species remains fragile, with around 50 breeding pairs.
The year 2026 confirms the decline in southeastern France: only 4 young birds fledged, 3 in the Baronnies and 1 in the Verdon.
Vautour percnoptère
After disappearing from the Baronnies in 1981, the Egyptian Vulture returned to the area by itself, partly thanks to the return of the other vulture species. It remains very rare, with only one breeding pair in the Drôme.
Photo: Julien Traversier Gypaète barbu
Reintroduced in the Baronnies from 2016 under the European LIFE Gyp’Connect programme, followed by LIFE Gyp’Act. The aim is to help rebuild the Bearded Vulture populations of the Alps and the Pyrenees and to reconnect them. In 10 years, 20 Bearded Vultures have been released.
Cinereous Vulture
2021, Drôme
Electrocution of a breeding female from the Baronnies.
2022, Drôme
Shooting of an immature Cinereous Vulture born in the Baronnies.
Two very rare vultures shot, LPO (in French)2023, Hautes-Alpes
Poisoning of a breeding male from the Baronnies. The chick died after the adult disappeared.
2025, Drôme
Poisoning of two immature Cinereous Vultures born in the Baronnies.
Around ten vultures poisoned in the Drôme, France 3 (in French)2025, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Electrocution of a mature Cinereous Vulture born in the Baronnies.
Electrocution of a Cinereous Vulture in Moriez, LPO Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur (in French)2025, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence
Shooting of a mature female born in the Baronnies.
A Cinereous Vulture hit by shotgun pellets rescued just in time, LPO (in French)Funding objectives
To contribute to the long-term conservation of the four species, Omogolo Wildlife Trust supports the fieldwork of Vautours en Baronnies. The funding goes to two essential needs: GPS tracking of the birds, and keeping the natural carcass disposal service running with local farmers.
GPS tags show where the birds go and how they disperse, and they add to what is known about their survival and causes of death.
Tagged vultures also act as sentinels of the territory. Griffon Vultures are often among the first to find and reach a carcass, so their GPS movements help identify feeding sites and unusual behaviour.
A sudden concentration of birds in one place, followed by a tagged bird that stops moving, can point to a problem and trigger a field investigation. This is particularly useful for detecting poisoning, electrocution or illegal shooting. When needed, the GPS data also helps the investigations.
Each GPS tag is a significant investment, but it provides essential data for conservation work.
Vulture conservation also depends on good coexistence with farming. In the Baronnies, the association works with more than 100 sheep and cattle farmers on natural carcass disposal.
Feeding sites let farmers dispose of their animals’ carcasses naturally, while giving the vultures a local and controlled source of food. Donations help to set them up and keep them running.
Your donation
By contributing to this project, your donation directly supports the fieldwork for the four vulture species of the Baronnies. Besides GPS tags and feeding sites, it helps pay for the equipment used to ring and follow the birds, and for the care of those in difficulty.
100% of your donation goes to this project. We work for the foundation on an unpaid basis and cover bank charges and other overhead costs out of our own pockets.
