Farmland abandonment or “ecological rewilding” shapes species distribution and ecological process ultimately affecting the biodiversity and functionality of ecosystems. Land abandonment predictions based on alternative future socioeconomic scenarios allow foretell the future of biota in Europe. Here, how these forecasts may affect large?scale distribution of the Cinereous vulture, an apex scavenger closely linked to Mediterranean agro?grazing systems, is investigated .

Understanding how density dependence modifies demographic parameters in long-lived vertebrates is a challenge for ecologists. A number of studies have highlighted the importance of habitat heterogeneity in density dependence in territorial species, but less information exists on demographic processes in colonial species. In this study, long-term data from a recovering population of Cinereous Vultures in southern Spain were used to evaluate environmental and population parameters influencing...