Background The black vulture (Aegypius monachus) has its largest EU populations in the south-western quadrant of the Iberian Peninsula. There are other, smaller, populations in the Balearic Archipelago (on the island of Majorca), Greece and France's Massif Central, partly thanks to recent reintroduction programmes. Nonetheless, the vulture’s situation continues to be unsure and it is considered as a priority species for funding under the LIFE Regulation . Over the last decade, the indiscriminate use of poison as a non-selective method of predator control has become the main threat to the survival of the black vulture, as well as other protected species. The destruction of its habitat and the reduction of its food supply have also contributed to its decline. This project complemented previous actions undertaken from 1997 to 2000 with the support of LIFE-Nature. It covered on one hand the Tramuntana mountain range in the north of Majorca and, on the other hand, 18 SPAs located in three mainland regions (Andalusia, Castilla-Leon and Extremadura). Objectives The project aimed to ensure the long-term survival of the only island population of the black vulture in Majorca and to reduce the number of poisoned birds on the Spanish mainland. Monitoring of the species was to be stepped-up and cooperation with private landowners should ensure that management of their land was compatible with the vulture's nesting and feeding habitats. A comprehensive campaign against the use of poison in the vulture's habitats, coordinated by an NGO but supported by the four regional authorities concerned, was to be launched across the entire project area . This campaign was to consist of strengthening surveillance activities and informing people about the harmful effects of poison on non-target animals and the possibility of using alternative methods. Results The project substantially contributed to a steady increase of the black vulture population on Majorca. The numbers of individuals are now above the critical minimal threshold for a stable population; the future of the black vulture on Majorca looks much brighter. In order to be sustainable, such a success needed to be supported by a number of flanking actions, which the project has achieved. First of all, it worked closely with all relevant stakeholders, such as landowners, tourist agencies, hunters, municipalities. This contributed to an atmosphere of mutual trust and common achievement, which is indispensable for the long-term success of the project results. Secondly, it has executed all these actions in the framework of the Conservation Programme for the Black Vulture of the Regional Government, which gave the necessary backing to the beneficiary, an NGO. The project went even a step further than foreseen and, based on the experience gained and aiming to continue the necessary actions, proposed a Black Vulture Conservation Plan for 2006-2011, which will be implemented in cooperation with the Regional Government of the Balearic Islands. To achieve these results, the project carried out a number of activities. The basic work included monitoring actions, including bird censuses, analysis of egg and chick mortality, radio-tracking to learn more about the birds’ requirements and habitats, and maintenance of the nesting platforms. These activities were supported by up-to-date technical tools such as blood sampling of marked birds and digital mapping of the birds’ territories. Due to the reduction of wild ungulates, changes in traditional farming and strict veterinary procedures, the vulture’s food supply has become scarce. To address this, the beneficiary provided carcasses to supplement the vultures’ food sources. Active conservation management actions included the surveillance of the breeding area and the control of feral cats which are threatening the birds’ breeding success. All these combined efforts led to an increase in the number of nests and reproductive rates. However, the entire Spanish black vulture population, including that on the Iberian mainland, is under severe threat from the illegal use of poison by landowners and hunters. Even if the vultures are not the direct target of this poisoning, they feed on dead animals, and are therefore either directly attracted by the poisoned bait or might eat any carnivore killed by the lure. This way they accumulate poison, being situated at the end of the food chain. The project’s tools for tackling this issue included the distribution of information material (“poison kits”) and the organisation of courses for nature rangers. The installation of a free 900713182 phone number for notifying poisoned animals, SOS VENENO, turned out to be an important tool for discovering the dimension of the problem (2500 phone calls led to the detection of 366 poisoning cases and the collection of 1312 presumably poisoned animals). An additional important result is the project’s contribution to the standardisation of the collection of dead animals or baits; this is essential when dealing with possible legal procedures against poisoners. The project hired a lawyer, who achieved several convictions for illegal use of poison. The message that illegal behaviour will be prosecuted has been most effective, together with the intensive awareness campaign amongst local people and hunters. The number of poisoned animals has been fallen substantially in the Balearic islands. On the mainland, however, matters are not yet so promising, and the collaboration of hunters is still one of the most sensitive nature conservation issues. The beneficiary has worked to improve the situation, but further efforts are still required. The beneficiary established a partnership with a Portuguese NGO for transferring the project's experiences on anti-poisoning campaigns to Portuguese conditions - a networking approach which should eventually lead to strengthened cooperation between Spanish and Portuguese NGOs and authorities. Key issue for the success of the project has been the close cooperation with the landowners: four agreements have been signed with private owners, which have in their estates more than 60% of the black vulture’s nesting population on Majorca. The drafting and implementation of three management plans derived from these agreements is exemplary for nature conservation on private land in Europe. The project could use was able to use a win-win situation: traditional farm exploitation, which economic outcomes can be optimised by a proper management planning, is beneficial for the black vulture too. Thus both parties were very interested in developing and implementing such a plan: the landowners for gaining efficiency in the sustainable exploitation of their land (including the preparation of management schemes for new agri-environmental grant possibilities in Natura 2000 sites and the promotion of tax incentive solutions), and the conservationists for ensuring the vulture-friendly management of their territories. The support from the Regional Government has been essential for this action, which contributed to the understanding and appreciation of the potential offered by the inclusion of private land into the Natura 2000 network. The beneficiary has also undertaken awareness raising actions, including a national campaign against poisoning and a tailor-made local campaign on Majorca. A wide dissemination campaign of project results was implemented, including hundreds of appearances in press, TV and specialised magazines, several videos, publicity of the SOS phone, stickers, posters, and participation in numerous events and fairs. This was supported by extensive networking activities, both within the four regional authorities co-financing the LIFE project, and with other vulture conservation projects. This intense activity has resulted in the participation of the beneficiary in several follow-up projects throughout Europe. Moreover, the efficient PR activities have attracted a great number of volunteers for monitoring and surveillance activities, supported by contracted experts for specialised actions. The proactive and positive co-operation framework established with the Regional Government of the Balearic Islands will help to integrate the project results into the regional legislation and to continue with most of the actions initiated with this project. The comprehensive approach of this species conservation project has already been 'exported' to other regions in France and in the Balkans (www.balkanvultures.net). This is an example how an NGO can help to implement a conservation strategy on a threatened species and the establishment of the Natura 2000 network when cooperating with public administration, private landowners and involved stakeholders.