The United Nations Sustainable Development Goals aim to improve livelihoods and maintain functioning ecosystems, and include the provision of electricity and the prevention of desertification. We show that the pursuit of those two goals can lead to developments that put critical ecosystem functions at risk. Vultures are scavengers that provide sanitary ecosystem services, but their populations across Africa are declining due to poisoning, electrocution, and collision with power infrastructure. The extent to which the pursuit of sustainable development threatens vultures in Africa is unclear. We surveyed 227 km of powerlines in Ethiopia, which revealed bird mortality (0.15 vulture carcasses / km) at power infrastructure constructed under a National Electrification Programme to provide universal electricity access by 2025. We also interviewed 190 local pastoralists in 10 areas about livelihood challenges, which revealed that the bush Prosopis juliflora, which was originally introduced to prevent desertification but then invaded north-eastern Ethiopia, increased livestock predation and motivated the use of poison to control predators. Actions to increase universal access to electricity and to reduce desertification therefore have undesired side-effects that increase vulture mortality through electrocution and poisoning. To avoid negatively affecting local vulture populations and the services they provide, we urge governments to use infrastructure designs that minimise the risk of electrocution and assist pastoralists to protect their livestock and reduce the risk of poisoning to vultures and other wildlife.

联合国可持续发展目标旨在改善生计和维持正常运转的生态系统，包括提供电力和防止荒漠化。我们表明，追求这两个目标可能会导致将关键生态系统功能置于危险之中的发展。秃鹰是提供卫生生态系统服务的食腐动物，但由于中毒、触电和与电力基础设施的碰撞，它们在非洲的数量正在减少。追求可持续发展对非洲秃鹰的威胁程度尚不清楚。我们对埃塞俄比亚 227 公里的电力线进行了调查，结果显示在国家电气化计划下建设的电力基础设施中鸟类死亡率（0.15 只秃鹰尸体/公里），以在 2025 年之前提供普遍电力接入。Prosopis juliflora最初是为了防止沙漠化而引入的，但后来入侵了埃塞俄比亚东北部，增加了对牲畜的捕食，并促使使用毒药来控制捕食者。因此，增加电力普及和减少荒漠化的行动会产生不良副作用，即通过触电和中毒增加秃鹫死亡率。为避免对当地秃鹫种群及其提供的服务产生负面影响，我们敦促政府使用能够将触电风险降至最低的基础设施设计，并协助牧民保护他们的牲畜并降低秃鹫和其他野生动物中毒的风险。