UCLOE

Raptors, include birds of prey such as hawks, eagles and falcons and they have played important roles in societies from many different cultures over millennia. They have been important to Kings and Conquerors as part of a culture of hunting. Practices that originated thousands of years ago cling on even today. The birds feature prominently on national flags and on the official seals of countries and sub-regions. These birds were also key to an increased awareness of the impact that people could have on the planet when their populations declined in Western Europe and North America in the 1950s and 1960s largely as a result of the use of organochlorine pesticides. More recently there have been large population declines of vultures in Asia following the widespread use of diclofenac, a veterinary drug, in India. These birds can also be controversial. Eagles and other predatory birds have been accused of taking livestock and gamebirds such as grouse in Scotland. Where there are programmes of reintroduction (say, of the White-Tailed Sea Eagle) similar issue arise alongside awe and fascination in the mind of the urban public who rarely encounter large and impressive creatures like eagles. These creatures play an important role in cultural ecosystem services, can help monitor the health of people’s environment, and provide a link for the urban population to the open environment. They warrant a place in our understanding of the Planet’s Health from which humanity draws all its wealth and wellbeing.