13 September 2024
The government of the Republic of
Kalmykia and the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of
the Republic of Kalmykia have prepared a draft programme for the restoration
(reintroduction) of the houbara bustard population in the northwest part of the
Caspian region. The project was presented at the second Falcon Day
International Forum, which took place in Vladivostok on the opening day of the Eastern
Economic Forum.
The houbara bustard plays a unique
role in the ecosystem of semi-desert and steppe regions. Restoring its
population is not only crucial to preserving biological diversity, but also to
maintaining traditional falconry, which has major cultural and historical
significance for the peoples of the Arabian Peninsula. In addition, falconry
traditions are officially preserved in 32 regions of the Russian Federation,
including the Republic of Kalmykia. The bustard is a major food source for falcons,
which makes it a key link in maintaining the populations of birds of prey.
The programme aims to create and
restore a sustainable population of the houbara bustard in the northwest part
of the Caspian region. To accomplish this, bustards will be artificially bred
at specialized nurseries and subsequently released into the wild. One of the
key components of the programme is the creation of the Houbara Reintroduction
and Conservation Centre in the Republic of Kalmykia, as well as the protection
of houbara habitats. The network of specially protected natural areas in the
region will be improved to ensure the preservation of key nesting zones. In
addition, GPS technology will be used to regularly conduct scientific research,
monitor the population, track the movements of birds, and assess their adaptive
capabilities in the natural environment.
The programme is designed for 25
years and will be implemented in three main stages:
· The first stage (one
year) includes an assessment of the conditions for the release of the birds,
the selection of suitable territories for them, and experimental releases in
the eastern regions of the Republic of Kalmykia.
· The second stage (two
years) involves the creation of the Houbara Reintroduction and Conservation
Centre, the continued test releases of birds that have been bred, the expansion
of protected areas, and monitoring of how the birds adapt in the wild.
· The third stage (22
years) involves the annual release of individual birds into the natural
environment and the monitoring of their survival rates.
In addition, during a session of
the Falcon Day International Forum, Mr. Al Janabi Abdullah, a representative of
the Eastern Bird Breeding Center for Conservation from the United Arab
Emirates, issued an official statement about his company’s readiness to finance
a project to create the Houbara Reintroduction and Conservation Centre in the
Republic of Kalmykia in March 2025.
In November 2023, the first trial
batch of houbara bustards was released into the wild in the steppes of
Kalmykia. Twenty birds were delivered to the republic from the Emirates Bird
Breeding Center for Conservation in the Republic of Uzbekistan. In June 2024,
the second trial release of such birds took place in Kalmykia.
As part of efforts to implement
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s instructions to create pilot centres for the
reintroduction and conservation of falcons in the Kamchatka Territory and
bustards in the Republic of Kalmykia, a project was implemented in 2022 to
build the Kamchatka Falcon Centre, which is replenishing the population of
birds of prey of the falcon family in the country.
The centre was created with the
support of the Russian Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment, the
Roscongress Foundation, and the Administration of the Kamchatka Territory.
The second Falcon Day International
Forum was held on 3 September in Vladivostok on the opening day of the Eastern
Economic Forum 2024. During the event, government officials, members of the
scientific community, and international experts discussed the experience that
has been gained from preserving and restoring birds of prey, digitalization and
innovative methods for monitoring wildlife, the creation of rehabilitation
centres, and the work of nurseries.
The Forum was managed by the
Roscongress Foundation and held with the support of the Russian Ministry of
Natural Resources and Environment, the government of the Kamchatka Territory,
and the Russian Nature Conservation Centre of the Russian Ministry of Natural
Resources.
