# The Social Costs of Keystone Species Collapse: Evidence from the Decline of Vultures in India

*PRI Rank #4 · Topics and Trends in Most Cited Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Papers, Class of 2026*

*Canonical URL: https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/wildlife-ecology-and-conservation/2026/rank-4*

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Rank | #4 |
| 18m citations | 60 |
| Journal | American Economic Review |
| Year | 2024 |
| DOI | 10.1257/aer.20230016 |
| Corresponding authors | Eyal Frank |
| Institution | University of Chicago, United States |

**Ranking page:** [Topics and Trends in Most Cited Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Papers, Class of 2026](https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/wildlife-ecology-and-conservation/2026)

**Paper link:** [10.1257/aer.20230016](https://doi.org/10.1257/aer.20230016)

## Topics

vulture decline India · keystone species collapse · diclofenac toxicity · scavenger ecosystem services · carcass removal · sanitation shock · Human-induced mortality · zoonotic disease transmission · patent expiry painkiller · functional extinction · species conservation valuation · environmental health externalities · mass extinction economics · Trophic cascade

## Cite this ranking

```
Pepkio Research Index (PRI). Topics and Trends in Most Cited Wildlife Ecology and Conservation Papers, Class of 2026. https://pri.pepkio.com/top-papers/wildlife-ecology-and-conservation/2026. Accessed 2026-07-17.

Zheng Su, Tinsley Li, Thematic Shifts in Early-High-Impact Cancer Genomics and Diagnostics Research: A Bibliometric and Semantic Analysis. bioRxiv 2026.07.04.736459; doi: https://doi.org/10.64898/2026.07.04.736459
```