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Description
The project is focused on ensuring safe nesting grounds for the Saker (Falco cherrug) in the agricultural landscape of southern and central Moravia and lower Poohří and monitoring the effectiveness of this measure using photo traps. The Saker, which was listed by the IUCN among globally endangered species in 2012, has still not received systematic support in the CZ. Since 2015, the number of nesting pairs has dropped significantly to 2 to 5 nesting pairs. The project aims to implement selected measures that can stabilize our population - to create a safe nesting platforms in the areas of the distribution of Saker in the CZ. Its implementation will fulfill the Global action plan for Saker (Saker GAP), AP and other strategic documents. The CZ, as one of the few European countries, does not take care of Saker beyond the basic protection. AP is to ensure the implementation of very demanding measures (change of agricultural management, securing dangerous medium voltage pylons, etc.), which must be implemented in direct cooperation with the MZP or AOPK CR. On the contrary, the installation of safe nesting opportunities and their cleaning can be implemented once under this subsidy title and thus stabilize our population until major habitat and other measures are implemented. Soon could be too late for Saker.
Summary of project results
We focused the project on ensuring safe nesting grounds for the Saker (Falco cherrug) in the agricultural landscape of southern and central Moravia and lower Poohří. Despite being listed as globally endangered by the IUCN in 2012, the Saker has not received systematic support in the Czech Republic. The Saker Falcon Action Plan in the Czech Republic (AP), prepared with Norwegian grants in 2017, has yet to be approved by the Ministry of the Environment (MZP), and the necessary protective measures for the species have not been implemented. Since 2015, the number of nesting pairs has dropped significantly to just 2 to 5 pairs. Our project aimed to ensure the installation of 100 safe breeding platforms on very high voltage poles across the agricultural landscape of the Czech Republic.
We installed 100 breeding platforms for the Saker falcon on very high voltage poles in the agricultural landscape of the Czech Republic. This effort has minimized one of the key risk factors threatening the critically endangered Saker falcon in the Czech Republic. At the same time, we established a long-term functional partnership with ČEPS, the owner of the distribution network, to protect the Saker falcon. This measure not only supports the biodiversity of the agricultural landscape but also benefits other raptor species inhabiting these areas, helping to sustain at least some raptor populations in intensively managed agricultural landscapes.
In 2024, the year following the installation, we observed three pairs of Saker falcons nesting on the platforms. Overall, four pairs have been documented nesting in the country. One pair also nested on a very high voltage pole, but in a Raven''s nest outside of the traditional range and thus outside the area where the breeding platforms were installed. Media coverage of the project has played a crucial role in raising public awareness about this critically endangered raptor species. Additionally, we achieved unintended but positive results, such as enhanced cooperation between the Ústí nad Labem Town Museum and CEPS (the transmission system owner). This intensified collaboration not only targets the Saker falcon but also promotes biodiversity around the very high voltage lines. Thanks to this cooperation, a project from the ČEPS Foundation is expected to be implemented as early as 2024.
Our aim was to support the population of the Saker falcon, which is teetering on the brink of extinction in the Czech Republic. We sought to minimize at least one key risk factor for this species: the lack of nesting opportunities in the agricultural landscape. The breeding platforms we installed are designed to be long-lasting (for decades), require minimal maintenance (only periodic cleaning after nesting), and are thus expected to have a significant long-term impact.
We have also greatly enhanced the protection of the Saker falcon by establishing intensive cooperation with CEPS. This partnership ensures that breeding pairs nesting on high voltage poles will not be disturbed. Furthermore, this collaboration is likely to lead to additional measures aimed at promoting biodiversity in the coming years, both directly on and around very high voltage poles.