Wind farm development can combat climate change but may also threaten bird populations’ persistence through collision with wind turbine blades if such development is improperly planned strategically and cumulatively. Such improper planning may often occur. Numerous wind farms are planned in a region hosting the only cinereous vulture population in south-eastern Europe. We combined range use modelling and a Collision Risk Model (CRM) to predict the cumulative collision mortality for cinereous vulture under all operating and proposed wind farms. Four different vulture avoidance rates were considered in the CRM. Cumulative collision mortality was expected to be eight to ten times greater in the future (proposed and operating wind farms) than currently (operating wind farms), equivalent to 44% of the current population (103 individuals) if all proposals are authorized (2744 MW). Even under the most optimistic scenario whereby authorized proposals will not collectively exceed the national target for wind harnessing in the study area (960 MW), cumulative collision mortality would still be high (17% of current population) and likely lead to population extinction. Under any wind farm proposal scenario, over 92% of expected deaths would occur in the core area of the population, further implying inadequate spatial planning and implementation of relevant European legislation with scant regard for governmental obligations to protect key species. On the basis of a sensitivity map we derive a spatially explicit solution that could meet the national target of wind harnessing with a minimum conservation cost of less than 1% population loss providing that the population mortality (5.2%) caused by the operating wind farms in the core area would be totally mitigated. Under other scenarios, the vulture population would probably be at serious risk of extinction. Our ‘win-win’ approach is appropriate to other potential conflicts where wind farms may cumulatively threaten wildlife populations.

Balkan chamois (Rupicapra rupicapra balcanica) is a protected species with an Inadequate-Bad (U2) conservation status in Greece. Our study explores its seasonal range use pattern, demography and habitat selection in a site of the Natura 2000 network, Timfi Mountain. To this aim, we examined 1168 observations obtained from six seasonal surveys (2002: four seasons, 2014 and 2017: autumn) and performed an ecological-niche factor analysis (ENFA), using 16 environmental and human-disturbance variables. The species had an annual range of 6491 ha (25% of the study area), followed the typical range-use pattern, and presented the minimum core area during the rutting season (autumn). Timfi Mt hosted 469 individuals in 2017 (the largest population in Greece), increasing by 3.55 times since 2002. The species selected higher altitudes during summer and autumn, pinewoods over broad-leaved woods as winter grounds, and it avoided south-facing slopes. Our results supported the anthropogenic risk avoidance hypothesis; the species always selected remote areas away from roads, human settlements, and hunting grounds. In Greece, 40% of its distribution area falls within hunting ban areas (16.5% of the country). A national conservation policy is needed towards maintaining and increasing roadless areas and hunting-ban areas within Balkan chamois range nationwide.

Megafires are a growing global phenomenon, with their frequency increasing in recent decades. In 2023, Europe’s largest recorded fire occurred in North-Eastern Greece, burning 94,250 hectares, including the Dadia–Lefkimi–Soufli National Park (DLS-NP). This protected area is of high ecological importance due to its rich biodiversity, hosting 18–20 breeding raptor species. The fire exhibited remarkable spatial heterogeneity, with some patches burning at low to moderate severity while others remained unburned, likely functioning as critical post-fire refugia. In this study, 15 environmental variables were analyzed using Maxent to model pre-fire potential nesting habitat suitability for eight tree-nesting species, including seven raptors and the Black Stork. The models were then used to examine the spatial overlap between historically suitable habitats and unburned, low-, and moderate-severity areas. The results suggest that these patches may represent important spatial remnants of potential nesting habitat for raptor communities after the fire, especially where historically suitable areas coincide with unburned or moderately burned forest structures. Accordingly, post-fire landscape management in Evros should prioritize the protection of unburned refugia and the cautious retention of partially burned forest structures, particularly in areas identified as historically suitable, while avoiding interventions that may unnecessarily simplify habitat structure. Effective management should combine species-specific protection of key habitat islands with landscape-scale strategies that preserve heterogeneity and support prey availability, within an adaptive framework guided by systematic monitoring over the next 3–5 years.

The factors affecting vultures’ space use can be complex, but food availability is often considered the primary determinant. However, when vultures’ food resources become highly predictable, their role in movement ecology has been little studied. Conservation planning for endangered vulture species requires a comprehensive understanding of space use. In this study, we quantified several metrics that may affect the space use of Cinereous Vultures (Aegypius monachus), a central-place forager isolated in the southeastern Balkans, which had access to substantial artificially provided food (33 tons per year) during the study period (2004–2009). Metrics examined for putative influence on ranging behavior included season, age, sex, breeding status, and artificially provided food quantity. Home range and core area sizes were larger during the breeding season and smaller during the non-breeding season. Although age, sex, and breeding status did not affect space use, we found strong evidence that artificially provided food predictability can shape the movement ecology of Cinereous Vultures. Annual home range size, core area, and seasonal overlap of the spatial parameters did not vary greatly over the years, suggesting repeatability in the species’ ranging behavior. Highly predictable artificially provided food can modify the movement ecology of necrophagous species. Yet, providing safe food is essential to preserve this endangered vulture. We suggest that feeding programs be gradually diversified to simulate natural carrion availability by using multiple small feeding sites and supplementing them unpredictably with small amounts of food.

Lanner Falcon (Falco biarmicus feldeggii) is classified as endangered in Greece. Its breeding population is considered stable, with a patchy distribution on the mainland and the islands. Thessaly is considered one of the species’ strongholds due to its arid climate, connecting the subpopulations of western and northern Greece to those in the south. This is the first dedicated pilot survey for the species in Greece. Historical and citizen-science data were compiled, and the prefecture was divided into seven sectors. Favourable areas were classified based on the abundance of past and recent observations, as well as the species’ probability of presence. A total of 6,052 km was covered, with 107 field days and 480 monitoring hours invested from viewpoints during the breeding season. The species was recorded fifteen times, and eight territories were verified. Based on historical data, in four of the seven sectors, the species shows 59% decline. No fledglings or reproductive activity were recorded during 2024.