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Guardian of the Andean heights. Conservation status of the Andean condor (Vulture Gryphus)

Abstract:

Overflying the Andes Mountains, the Andean Condor, Vultur Gryphus of the Cathartidae family, stands out as the largest non-marine bird on the planet, an endemic species of the area and national emblem of many South American countries linked through folklore. Their benign carrion habits keep clean long mountain ranges, moors and deserts, preventing the proliferation of diseases, however, at the present the lack of an adequate diffusion of information on this species and the aggressive invasion of its habitat cause that its conservation is found in critical condition, being the human presence the main factor of mortality. For this reason, for several decades, through joint international efforts, significant progress has been made in the study, conservation and repopulation of ancient habitats, avoiding the irreversible loss of populations, considering the limited demographic fast response capacity of this bird. To this end, a continuous and active dissemination of the reality and the struggle of the Andean Condor have helped to avoid that their biological characteristics, together with the human threats they face, become an hopeless combination for their survival.