Houbara bustard or Mac-Queen's bustard is a species native to Asian countries and the extreme south of Russia. This species is listed in the Red Book of the Russian Federation and Appendix I of the CITES Convention. The number of this species in Russia is extremely low. The session will focus on the current state of the houbara bustard population and measures for its conservation and restoration in the Russian Federation and worldwide. The draft Programme for the restoration (reintroduction) of the houbara bustard population in the Northwest Caspian region, developed by the Ministry for Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kalmykia, will be presented at the session.
Discussion points:
-​Current state of the houbara bustard population around the world;
-​Programme to restore the population of the houbara bustard in the Northwest Caspian region;
-​Establishment of a Bustard Reintroduction and Conservation Centre in the Republic of Kalmykia;
-​International partnership for restoration of the houbara bustard population.

Moderator:
Ochir Dzhambinov — Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Republic of Kalmykia – Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Kalmykia

Speakers:
Humaid Abdulla Mubarak Obaid Alketbi — Director, Eastern Bird Breeding Center for Conservation Ltd
Hussam Mohamad Al Trabuls — Veterenarian (online)
Diinmey Balban-Ool — Director, Federal State Budgetary Institution "State Natural Reserve "Ubsunur Basin"
Anton Ivanov — Leading Researcher at the Biodiversity Laboratory of the Federal State Budgetary Institution "VNII Ecology",
Alexander Kazakov — Chief Specialist of the Biodiversity Policy Department, Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change, Republic of Uzbekistan
Arthur Murzakhanov — Acting Director, Federal State Budgetary Institution "Reserved Crimea"

As part of efforts to preserve specially protected natural areas, protect and restore rare and endangered species of plants and animals, in 2024, Russian President Putin initiated establishment of rehabilitation centres for injured and confiscated wild animals. As per the federal law ‘On Wildlife’, wildlife captured or confiscated without compensation must be returned to their habitat. Establishment of rehabilitation centres will make it possible to return captured and injured animals to their natural environment, which, in turn, will contribute to restoration of animal populations.
Discussion points:
-​Different countries’ experience of building and operating rehabilitation centres;
-​Main results of rehabilitation centres being involved in the reintroduction of birds;
-​Prospects for establishment of rehabilitation centres for vulnerable bird species.

Moderator:
Olga Krever — Deputy Director, Roszapovedtsentr of the Ministry of Natural Resources of Russia

Speakers:
Miroslav Babushkin — Deputy Director for Scientific Work “Darwin State Natural Biosphere Reserve”
Viktor Bulekbaev — Head, Sunkar (online)
Maria Derevyanko — Deputy Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Development of Specially Protected Natural Areas, Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation
Olga Mandicheva — Deputy Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Tatarstan
Kseniya Mihajlova — Director, Center for Rehabilitation and Reintroduction of Wild Animals Sirin
Vladimir Petrov — Head of the Birds of Prey Nursery of the Galichya Gora Nature Reserve, Voronezh State University
Pavel Rozhkov — head of a separate structural unit of the State Institution "Moscow Zoo" - "Center for the Reproduction of Rare Species of Animals"
Evgeny Sarychev — Director, Rare Birds Nursery

Scientific research is a necessary and fundamental activity for wildlife conservation. Based on the results of research activities, decisions are made on the measures required for protecting wildlife, including birds of the falcon family. The monitoring results make it possible to monitor the success and effectiveness of nature conservation measures taken for their preservation and restoration.
Modern challenges related to nature protection and biodiversity conservation require active use of innovative technologies in the field of wildlife monitoring and study.
Discussion points:
-​Innovative technologies that help in studying and monitoring wildlife;
-​Use of modern technologies to prevent a decline in the population of falcon family birds and loss of genetic diversity;
-​The role of business in supporting scientific research and monitoring wildlife, including birds of the falcon family.

Moderator:
Irina Makanova — Director of the Department of State Policy and Regulation in the Development of Specially Protected Natural Areas, Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation

Speakers:
Andrey Lisitsyn — Head of the HSE Department, Russian Railways
Denis Malikov — Director, Federal State Budgetary Institution Sailyugemsky National Park
Raisa Momot — Senior Manager of the Sustainable Development Function, SIBUR-Holding
Darya Petrova — Director, Interregional Association “Center for the Study and Conservation of the
Liudmila Poplavskaya — Head, project office of the federal project "Conservation of biological diversity and development of ecological tourism" of the national project "Ecology", Roszapovedtsentr
Arkadiy Semenov —

Birds of prey play an important role in maintaining ecosystem equilibrium, the state of their populations serving as an indicator of the ecological health of the environment, and their restoration contributing to biodiversity conservation. Falcons are one of the most vulnerable families of Russia’s fauna The main reasons for the decreasing numbers are anthropogenic: disappearance and degradation of nesting sites, reduction of the forage base, poaching. Russian falconry kennels (breeding centres) started to be established more than 30 years ago. Their main goal is to breed falcons to restore populations of rare and endangered species, to meet the needs of falconry and other forms of applied use of feathered birds of prey (environmental education programmes, ornithological protection of important sites, etc.). An important aspect in recent years has been export of nursery-bred falcons to meet demand on the falconry market.
Discussion points:
-​Practices used by different countries for the conserving and restoring populations of birds of prey;
-​Operational experience of nurseries and breeding and reintroduction centres;
-​Key results of restoring natural populations using birds from reintroduction centres.

Moderator:
Alexander Zakondyrin — Director, All-Russian Research Institute "Ecology"

Speakers:
Ayuna Alekseeva — Leading researcher, head of the CITES sector, All-Russian Research Institute "Ecology"
Imad Mokhsen Al Hamzah — Representative of the Binjarra Falcon nursery
Viktor Bulekbaev — Head, Sunkar (online)
Pyotr Volkov — Director of the Birds of Prey Nursery “Peregrinus falcon”
Vladimir Petrov — Head of the Birds of Prey Nursery of the Galichya Gora Nature Reserve, Voronezh State University
Ivan Chaplashkin — Head of the Ornithology Department, Kazan Zoo Botanical Garden

Nature Conservation Diplomacy: Falcons – New Horizons for Cooperation
The main goal of biodiversity conservation is to preserve wildlife species diversity, primarily its most vulnerable rare and endangered species. The big falcon species - gyrfalcon, peregrine falcon and saker falcon - have for many centuries been the most popular and favourite hunting birds. The Gyrfalcon is the biggest bird of the falcon family, with a breeding range including tundra and forest tundra of the Arctic and subarctic zones in Europe, North America and Asia. In the Russian Federation, the Gyrfalcon breeds from the Kola Peninsula in the west to Kamchatka and Chukotka in the east. The number of the Gyrfalcon is not high: an estimated 10,000 pairs in the world, while in Russia there are about 4,000 pairs. Joint projects involving countries within the range of big falcon species for their restoration, given the special status of these birds in the world, open up prospects for establishing a diplomatic dialogue between the countries.
Discussion points:
-​Successful practices in conserving birds of the falcon family;
-​Range of measures required for conserving birds of the falcon family;
-​Accession of new countries to the Framework Declaration of Intent for the Conservation of the Gyrfalcon Population.

Moderator:
Marina Kim — Deputy of the State Duma of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation; TV presenter, journalist

Speakers:
Abdulaziz Ahmad Al Mahmud — Deputy Minister of Environment and Climate Change of the State of Qatar
Karim Salman Abdulkarim Radhi Alwan — Head of the Veterinary Department of the Ministry of Oil and Environment of the Kingdom of Bahrain
Sergey Anoprienko — Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation
Otabek Babamuradov — Director of the Department for the Development of Ecotourism and Hunting, Ministry of Ecology, Environmental Protection and Climate Change of the Republic of Uzbekistan
Almutairi Mashari Badr M — Representative of the Rasis company LTD
Roman Vasilevsky — Deputy Chairman of the Government of the Kamchatka Territory
Andrey Grachev — Vice President for Federal and Regional Programs, Norilsk Nickel
Andrey Kim — Deputy Chairman of the Committee for Forestry and Wildlife of the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan
Alexander Korbut — First Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environmental Protection of the Republic of Belarus (online)
Kairat Sarybay — Secretary General, Conference on Interaction and Confidence Building Measure in Asia (CICA)