• Climate Change

The Lombardy Region launched an experimental feeding station to protect vulnerable scavenger birds and restore ecological balance. Led by the Lombardy Foundation for the Environment, with the cooperation of institutions and organizations of the Lombardy region, the initiative establishes a secure and reliable food source for vulnerable scavenger birds, strengthening biodiversity resilience, and species survival. In doing so, it translates the ambitions of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework into concrete, measurable action on the ground in Italy. 

As biodiversity declines and ecosystems across Italy face increasing pressure, the Lombardy Region is implementing the project “Construction of an Experimental Feeding Station for Scavenging Birds of Prey”, with the goal to protect vulnerable scavenger species and restore ecological balance by establishing a controlled feeding station that guarantees safe food sources, strengthens species survival, and contributes to greater ecosystem resilience. The initiative is led by the Lombardy Foundation for the Environment, with the cooperation of institutions and organizations of Lombardy region, Cariplo Foundation, WWF, local authorities, private companies and land managers.

Supporting Scavenger Birds and Ecosystem Balance in Lombardy

Large scavenging birds of prey such as the golden eagle, black kite, bearded vulture, griffon vulture and the red kite, play a critical ecological role by consuming animal carcasses, which helps prevent the spread of disease, recycle nutrients, and maintain ecosystem balance. However, in the Alps and across Italy their populations remain vulnerable, with one of the main limiting factors being the lack of safe and predictable food resources due to changes in livestock practices, stricter sanitary regulations, and landscape pressures that have reduced natural feeding opportunities. Without intervention, this situation threatens breeding stability and limits the potential return of non-nesting species, requiring coordinated territorial planning and targeted conservation measures.  

By strengthening scavenger populations through an experimental feeding station, Lombardy aims to improve survival conditions and support long-term species recovery while contributing to sustainable agricultural practices, reducing organic waste through the safe use of animal by-products, and promoting biodiversity awareness, scientific cooperation, knowledge-sharing, and participatory governance – generating benefits for biodiversity, ecosystem resilience, and society.  

An eagle owl feeding on the sanitized carcasses. Photo©: Courtesy of the Lombardy Foundation for the Environment.

The solution: a controlled feeding station for conservation 

Launched in November 2024 and running until October 2026, the project “Construction of an Experimental Feeding Station for Scavenging Birds of Prey” establishes a regulated feeding station for large scavenger birds in the Alpine region.

The objectives are:

• In the short term, improve survival conditions for large scavenging birds of prey found in the Alps.
• In the medium term, establish more stable conditions for the preservation of existing species and to encourage the settlement of non-nesting species during the breeding season, such as the Griffon Vulture and Red Kite.

The initiative involves public institutions and private actors of Lombardy region, including Bergamo Airport Society, WWF of Bergamo-Brescia, Local Province Police, local farms, with the cooperation of regional natural reserves. The project is financed through Cariplo Foundation private funds, showing how regional leadership can mobilize diverse partnerships.

From conservation to practical implementation

The feeding station is carefully managed to ensure sanitary safety, ecological integrity, and scientific monitoring. Key actions include:

• Establishing a regulated and monitored feeding site for scavenger birds.
• Monitoring species’ presence.
• Coordinating with local authorities, environmental NGOs, and private stakeholders.
• Promoting best practices within the local community as well as in institutional and international settings.

This evidence-based approach strengthens knowledge generation and supports adaptive management over time.

Results and expected impacts for people and nature  

The initiative is designed to generate measurable progress toward biodiversity recovery in Lombardy. The main objective of the project is to create, in the short term and on an experimental basis, a first practical tool to significantly improve the current survival conditions of large scavenger birds of prey present in the Alps and in Italy.

In the medium term, the project aims to contribute to the creation of more stable conditions for the maintenance of species already present and to support the settlement of non-nesting species during their reproductive period, for which food resources are the main limiting factor.

Expected impacts include:

• Enhanced ecosystem functioning through natural carcass disposal and nutrient cycling.
• Reduced greenhouse gas emissions linked to alternative carcass management practices.
• Improved efficiency of public spending through preventive ecosystem management.
• More assiduous frequentation of the area by important scavenger species.
• Reduction in the recovery of dead or distressed animals poisoned by lead or debilitated by starvation as a result of reduced food resources at critical times of the year.
• Reduction of the conflict between the agricultural, hunting and rural world and the presence of scavenging birds of prey.

By restoring a natural ecological function, the project contributes to climate resilience and enhances nature’s contributions to people.

Why this matters for COP17 

The project “Construction of an Experimental Feeding Station for Scavenging Birds of Prey” shows the essential role of subnational governments in preventing species extinction and restoring ecological functions. Regions manage the landscapes where biodiversity loss is most visible and where practical solutions must be implemented.

By combining species protection, sustainable resource management, circular-economy principles, and scientific monitoring, the region directly contributes to multiple GBF targets.

As the global community prepares for COP17, Lombardy’s initiative highlights how regional action can bridge the gap between international biodiversity commitments and concrete implementation on the ground.

Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework targets addressed: 1, 4, 5, 8, 9, 11, 14, 16, 20, 21, 22.
Focus areas: Species conservation; Nature-based solutions; Circular economy; Climate resilience.

More information:

• www.valpredina.eu
• www.flanet.org

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