Biases in vulture conservation literature in Africa

Abstract

Since the turn of the century, most vulture species have been experiencing dramatic population declines worldwide, prompting extensive research and conservation initiatives. We investigated research efforts on African vultures by searching for publications from the year 2000 to the present. We found 546 publications that met the criteria of our study. Vulture publications rose steadily from the year 2000. We used weighted analysis to generate impact scores of vulture species representing the prevalence of a species across the curated literature. Our comprehensive review revealed variations in species emphasis, geographic distribution and institutional affiliations of publications. We recorded more single-species (54.8%) than multi-species studies (45.2%). The White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus had the highest impact score, followed by the Hooded Vulture Necrosyrtes monachus and the Cape Vulture Gyps coprotheres. The Griffon Gyps fulvus and Cinereous Aegypius monachus vultures had the lowest impact scores. Species like the White-headed Vulture Trigonoceps occipitalis, Lappet-faced Vulture Torgos tracheliotos and Rüppell’s Vulture Gyps rueppellii were little represented in single-species studies but were often prominent in multi-species studies. Regarding study location, South Africa and the southern African sub-region dominated the research output. While South Africa and its institutions led in research output, the other sub-regions (West, North and East-Central) were overshadowed. On a positive note, vulture research was backed by funding for over 60% of the publications. Ecological and conservation studies dominated the literature accounting for 41.9% and 41.2% of the literature, respectively. Regional and species biases in research efforts may lead to further declines in overlooked areas. Addressing these biases necessitates concerted efforts, especially in empowering West, East-Central and North African institutions.