Steffen Oppel - Conservation Scientist / Ornithologist
Raptor conservation along the Red Sea flyway
We aim to understand the causes of ongoing population declines in Egyptian Vultures and develop strategies to save the species in the region. Threats to Egyptian Vultures are diverse and include poisoning, electrocution, direct persecution, and changes in land use and livestock farming. We conduct and support annual breeding success monitoring in six countries, track birds with satellite transmitters, and work with partners along the flyway to identify and reduce threats in 14 countries in Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
Eradication of invasive species from islands
Invasive non-native species are a main concern for biodiversity, especially on islands. Eradicating invasive species is a useful conservation strategy, but often difficult to implement. I work with partners in the UK and internationally to prioritise islands on which eradication would provide the greatest benefits to native species, and conduct research how eradications on priority islands can be conducted successfully. I also provide the scientific support for the restoration of Gough and Henderson Island, two UK Overseas Territory islands of globally significant value for conservation.
Seabird tracking for MPA identification
Seabirds are spectacular species that travel far and wide across the world's oceans. With many collaborators we are trying to identify the foraging areas of seabirds nesting on Ascension, St Helena, the Tristan da Cunha archipelago, Malta, Henderson, and some Caribbean islands by tracking birds with satellite transmitters or GPS loggers. By developing tools to identify important bird areas following international criteria, we aim to facilitate the process by which tracking data can be used to identify areas that could be proposed as marine protected areas.
Bird monitoring on UK Overseas Territories
From the forests on Montserrat to the seabird assemblages on St Helena or Gough Island, I support local partners on these territories to design efficient monitoring programmes and analyse these data to infer whether populations are stable or declining. This includes mostly bird counts, but also demographic data, nest monitoring, and more detailed assessments of population densities of some species of conservation concern.