The Eastern Imperial Eagle Population in Serbia Sees Significant Recovery

Rising from a single breeding pair in 2017 to 19 pairs in 2023, with 10 successfully raising young, this rebound follows decades of decline attributed to habitat loss, persecution, poisoning, and lack of food.

Historical Decline and Contributing Factors

Intensive agricultural practices in Vojvodina, northern Serbia, led to widespread deforestation, making it one of Europe's least forested regions. Milan Ružić, executive director of the Bird Protection and Study Society of Serbia (BPSSS), noted that in some areas, tree cover is below 1%, severely limiting nesting sites for eagles.

Historical persecution also contributed significantly to the decline. Ružić stated that in a region with a history of conflict, people often shot birds of prey. Post-World War II, state-sponsored poisoning campaigns targeting large carnivores also resulted in the deaths of raptors that consumed poisoned carcasses.

Changes in agriculture further impacted the eagles' food source. Imperial eagles in Vojvodina primarily eat ground squirrels (sousliks), which thrive in grazed pastures. The shift from traditional grazing to stable-based cattle farming drastically reduced souslik populations.

By the late 1980s, only two small imperial eagle populations remained in Serbia. The population in Deliblato Sands was lost in the 1990s, and the Fruška Gora population disappeared entirely by 2015. Ružić suggests that the expansion of fruit production and associated new power lines in Fruška Gora, following EU sanctions on Russia in 2014, may have contributed to this final decline.

Conservation Efforts and Remarkable Recovery

The recovery of the Serbian population is directly linked to successful conservation efforts in neighboring Hungary, where the imperial eagle population grew robustly from 20 pairs in the 1980s to 550 today. This success led to young eagles dispersing south into Serbia, with the first arrivals recorded in 2011.

The BPSSS, supported by projects like the EU-funded PannonEagle Life, significantly intensified its conservation work. Key actions included:

• Guarding the last breeding pair's nest to prevent disturbance.
• Rebuilding a storm-damaged nest, a crucial intervention that allowed chicks to survive.
• Monitoring territories, rehabilitating injured birds, and engaging actively with local communities.

Community engagement efforts proved particularly effective. By highlighting the eagle's symbolism on Serbia's national coat of arms, these initiatives fostered local pride and significantly reduced incidents of shooting or poisoning.

Ružić noted that this approach made people care, transforming the presence of an eagle into a village's "brand."

As a direct result of these concerted efforts, the population is now expanding southward along river corridors at an estimated rate of 15-20km per year, with new territories being established annually.

Ongoing Challenges

Despite the overwhelmingly positive trend, several significant challenges persist for the eastern imperial eagle in Serbia:

• Habitat Scarcity: A persistent lack of tall trees means eagles are slow to adapt to artificial nesting platforms, hindering faster expansion.
• Poisoning: Wildlife poisoning remains a critical issue across the Balkans. The BPSSS has recorded approximately 300 poisoning incidents since 2000, underscoring the ongoing threat despite initiatives like the BalkanDetox Life project.
• Infrastructure Conflicts: Power lines and wind farms continue to pose substantial risks, leading to conflicts between conservationists and developers.
• Political Obstacles: Importing satellite tags for tracking birds has become complicated due to Serbia's political alignments, requiring extensive documentation and bureaucratic hurdles.

Many of the eagles currently in Serbia are still young, with breeding typically starting around five years of age. While this means productivity is currently lower, it is confidently expected to increase as the birds mature.

Ružić expressed clear optimism, stating that "The trend has turned," and the eagles are expected to continue their return unless unforeseen dramatic events occur.