'Sentinelas - marking and tracking griffon vultures (Gyps fulvus) as a tool to fight illegal poisoning in Portugal' is a project of Palombar - Nature and Rural Heritage Conservation that has as its main objective the creation of a network of sentinels through marking, with GPS devices and rings/alarms, of examples of griffon vultures, that make it possible to obtain information on the illegal use of poisons in the north of Portugal, which represents a serious problem for the conservation of biodiversity and for public health.

This system will allow obtaining data on mortality from poisoning of wild fauna and on the spatial-temporal distribution of risk/exposure to poisons for scavenger species, quickly, effectively and at relatively low costs, as it provides a passive monitoring system of biological activity of the animals (ie without having technicians/vigilantes in the field to perform specific monitoring for that purpose) and also allows a better assessment of the dynamics and real situations on the ground (ie not altered by the presence of observers).

In a complementary way, the project will contribute to assess other threats to scavenger birds, such as mortality on electric lines or wind farms and also to obtain information on the availability of food in the field for these species, especially cadavers from extensive livestock activities, which are fundamental for the maintenance and conservation of their populations.

Additional information can also be obtained about potential conflicts between some traditional human activities, such as hunting or livestock farming, and predators in the project's implementation zones.

Website www.sentinelas.pt
Partner University of Oviedo
Territory Natura 2000 Network
Funding Environmental Fund - Ministry of Environment and Energy Transition