Biodiversity Conservation Project for Houbara Bustard - Term Paper Example

Name Subject & Code: Instructor: Date: Choose a Biodiversity Conservation Project for Houbara Bustard The Asian Houbara Bustard (Chlamaydotis macqueenii) is a huge bird from the bustard family of birds. It is a traditional occupant of semi-deserts and steppes in the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia. The bird is relatively terrestrial and can go for long periods without flying, despite being a bona fide long-distance drifter, where some may travel up to 7,500 kilometres during a course of a one year, From UAE to Afghanistan, Kazakhstan and into China (Allinson 4-7) ( See Figure 2). The Houbara Bustard is categorised under ‘endangered’ given their steady decline in numbers. It has been experiencing a long course of population reduction because of a range of threats, such as unregulated hunting. During the last one decade, the International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) in Abu Dhabi has overseen conservation programmes to increase the number of birds to sustainable levels. This paper explores the history of IFHC, before it identifies the reasons the project was put up. At this stage, it justifies the reasons for the project in terms of sustainability, and economic, ethical, and cultural values of the bird. Lastly, it analyzes the types of conflicts the project’s ongoing implementation raises. Figure 1: The Asian Houbara Bustard (Chlamaydotis macqueenii) (Zawya 1). Figure 2: Flights of the Houbara (Environmental Atlas 1) Brief History of the IFHC project The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) was established in 2006 as a project with the mission of continuing the initial efforts of the late Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Al Nahyan, who had initiated a Houbara breeding programme during the 1970's. Bin Sultan Al Nahyan had realised that the number of the Houbara birds were on steady decline because of a range of cultural factors like falcon hunting, in addition to poaching activities and speedy urbanization (Allinson 4-7). Later in 2006, IFHC was initiated by a Royal Decree from His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Al Nahyan, Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi. The project’s fundamental role is ensuring the conservation and restitution of the Houbara populations to a degree that can guarantee its lasting conservation, while still sustaining falconry, which is the traditional pillar of Arabian heritage. Vast incidences of unregulated hunting of the Houbara, along with its unlawful trade and constant annihilation of their habitat led to a significant reduction in their wild population. This inspired the creation of the IFHC. Since 2006, the IFHC has been dedicated to restoring the numbers of the Houbara throughout its distribution range from southern Arabia to the southern parts of Mongolia (Allinson 4-7). In fact, the IFHC project is currently made up of many programs across the Gulf such as the Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre (SKHBC-AD) from Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Centre for Wildlife Propagation (ECWP) from the Kingdom of Morocco, the Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre (SKHBC-KZ) from the Republic of Kazakhstan, and the National Avian Research Centre (NARC) from Abu Dhabi. By relying on its networks of breeding facilities in several states such as Kazakhstan, Morocco and the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the IFHC has a lasting goal of producing up to 35,000 Asian Houbara and 15,000 African Houbara annually, to be reintroduced to the world. The reintroduced wild Houbara were initially reported in the UAE in 2007, after the launch of the IFCH. The bird’s current survival rate in the UAE is 53%, as of 2012 (Allinson 4-7). Today, the project oversees Houbara conservation breeding in an expanse extending from southern parts of Arabia to the southern parts of Mongolia 9(Allinson 4-7). Consistent with the need for ecological research, the project also initiated an educational strategy aimed at transmitting its study findings regarding the Houbara ecology to falconers, who are the key stakeholders who initiated as well as run the conservation project. Justification of the ICFH project Sustainable value The project was initiated as a conservation measure to protect the Houbara Bustards in order to cut their exploitation to levels that are biologically sustainable. The objective was to call for preventative and scientifically approved restriction on the number of houbara that could be hunted lawfully yet with more stringent enforcement measures capable of combating illegal forms of trade and hunting. Indeed, a study of the populations of the birds between1998 and 2002 indicated that the bird were alarmingly declining across the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, with severe declines in the Kyzylkum Desert (Tourenq et al. (1–8 as cited in Allinson 4-7). A later study by Riou et al. (64–70 as cited in Allinson 4-7) in 2009 during the course of implementing the IFCH showed increased and stabilising population of the birds. During the time, the levels of the bird’s population decline had approached levels that qualified the birds to be classified as endangered. A report by Hamdan and Ameri (4-8) indicated that when the hunting was not reduced, the species stood to warrant up-listing. On the other hand, when the conservation efforts succeeded leading to stabilising of their population, the species would be down-listed. These reasons justified a need to initiate the ICFH project to oversee the conservation of the birds to levels that are sustainable biologically. The population of the Houbara Bustard had been in constant decline since the early 20th century. The ICFH is making efforts to reverse the trend by hatching and reintroducing more than 40,000 birds annually. For instance, more than 48,000 Houbara birds were hatched in 2015 (The National Staff 1). Ethical, cultural and economic reasons for initiating the project The ethical approaches to conservation of the Houbara Bustard birds have a protracted history in the Arab society: the birds and their habitat should not be destroyed as they are a component of the broader Arab spiritual and ethical web. The conservation has a historical link to the ethical precepts needed for protecting the ecology as part of the human’s responsibility. In which case, one reason for establishing the ICFH was to reinforce human’s responsibility as ‘stewards’ of biological resources of the earth (Bryce 1). It also conforms to the ethical argument that humans have no right to annihilate the birds and their habitat or deny their future generations of a chance to interact, see the birds and derive the same pleasure from falconry (Blench 4-5). Falcon hunting has also been used as an instrument for teaching the ethical virtues of trust and patience. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, the falcon hunting is believed to promote to “al-shareek,” an Arabic word meaning “partner ethics” of comradeship, taking responsibility, and sharing. These ethical concerns have strong emotional appeal although they remain exceedingly culture-based, as they present the case that people who do not accept their cultural assumptions would not be rewarded with deriving future pleasures from the Houbara Bustard (Blench 4-5). The ICFH conservation and sustainable strategy is an effort integral to preservation biodiversity. The Arab cultures have some their roots in biological diversity. For instance, the traditional hunts of the Houbara Bustard symbolize the enduring tradition of gathering meat through the use of falcons. Indeed, in the 1970s, the tradition was significantly popular among royals who tended to hunt the Houbara Bustard. With its origin in the Middle East during the 3500 BC, falconry today is practiced in 60 countries globally. The Houbara Bustards have a close link to Bedouin culture, where they were used to search for foods in the Syrian deserts and Arabian (Hamdan and Ameri 4-8). Today, the Middle East falconers view the sport as closely linked to Bedouin past. The desire for cultural preservation motivated the need to start the ICFH project. Indeed, the ICFH was started with the mission of ensuring conservation of the birds to sustainable levels, where they can be hunted in the royal sports yet still exist (Bryce 1). These cultural and ethical values also portend some economic value. For instance, Saudi Arabia and UAE offer major sites for falcon hunting and sports, where royalties and tourists from across the Gulf countries travel to the two countries to practice the sport in commemoration of the cultures (Zawya 1). This generates revenues to the recipient countries. Indeed, the practice is highly regarded that in 2010, the UNESCO listed falconry to its Representative List of Intangible Cultural Heritage to characterize the as a culturally significant sport. Conflicts to implementation of the project As a key challenge to the ICFH’s conservation efforts, unregulated hunting of the birds and, cases of overexploitation to date portend the key threats to sustainability of the species. This is essentially because of the rather unsustainable levels of poaching and hunting, specifically for purposes of falconry. As Hamdan and Ameri (4-8) mentions, a satellite tracking of the birds in 2011 indicated that the foremost cause of Houbara Bustard adult mortality is hunting by poachers and hunters. Indeed, for a long time, princes from United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia have engaged in hunting in Middle Eastern deserts. This has caused mounting backlash, where conservationists argue that falcon hunting and sports threaten the survival of Houbara. Additional conflicts include disturbance and ruin of the bird’s habitat due to steady urbanisation in UAE and Saudi Arabia. Currently, captive breeding of the birds and their reintroduction are ICHF’s main conservation response (Bryce 1; The National 1) (See Figure 3). Figure 3: ICFH’s captive breeding of the birds in UAE (The National 1). While significant technical progress is being achieved as regards the Houbara husbandry, which has meant that tens of thousands of the species are reintroduced annually, it is significant to note that all reintroductions be undertaken in full compliance with sustainability guidelines. Conclusion The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) was established in 2006 to oversee conservation programmes to increase the number of Houbara Bustard birds to a level that is sustainable biologically. Still, it also aimed to sustain the falconry sporting and hunting, which is the traditional pillar of Arabian heritage. The project has increased the number of birds by producing more than 40,000 birds annually. Still, has not been able to combating illegal forms of trade and hunting. Ethically, the project a historical link to the ethical precepts needed for protecting the ecology as part of the human’s responsibility. Culturally, it has sustained falconry sporting and hunting, which is the traditional pillar of Arabian heritage. Economically, it has sustained the biological diversity of Saudi Arabia and UAE, hence attracting royalties and tourists from across the Gulf countries travel. Key conflicts, therefore, include unregulated falconry sporting and hunting of the birds and disturbance and ruin of the bird’s habitat due to steady urbanisation in UAE and Saudi Arabia. Works Cited Allinson, Tris. "Review of the global conservation status of the Asian Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis macqueenii." BirdLife International, 2014. 19 Feb 2016, Blench, Roger. "Biodiversity Conservation And Its Opponents." Natural Resources Perspective, 1998. Bryce, Emma. "Why Is the Houbara Bustard Making Headlines?" Audubon, 2015, 19 Feb 2016, Environmental Atlas. "Environmental Atlas of Abu Dhabi Emirate," n.d. 18 Feb 2016, Hamdan, Yassir and Ameri, Hamad. "Falconry in the Middle East: an assessment of falconers’ ecological knowledge on Asian Houbara Chlamaydotis macqueenii." Falco Middle East Falcon Research Group 38 (2011): 4-8 Riou, S., Combreau, O., Judas, J., Lawrence, M., Al Baidani, M. and Pitra, C. “Genetic Differentiation among Migrant and Resident Populations of the Threatened Asian Houbara Bustard.” Journal of Heredity 103 (2012): 64–70. The National Staff, "More than 48,000 houbara bustards hatched since January." The National, 9 Sept 2015. 19 Feb 2016, The National. "UAE houbara conservation: when ideals take wing." The National, 2016. 19 Feb 2016, Tourenq, C., Combreau, O., Lawrence, M., Pole, S. B., Spalton, A., Gao, X. J., Al Baidani, M. and Launay, F. “Alarming houbara bustard population trends in Asia.” Biological Conservation 121 (2005): 1–8 Zawya, "The International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC) Announces Its Participation at ADIHEX 2014 through Interactive Activities," Zawya, 9 Sep 2014, 19 Feb 2016, Read More

Today, the project oversees Houbara conservation breeding in an expanse extending from southern parts of Arabia to the southern parts of Mongolia 9(Allinson 4-7). Consistent with the need for ecological research, the project also initiated an educational strategy aimed at transmitting its study findings regarding the Houbara ecology to falconers, who are the key stakeholders who initiated as well as run the conservation project. Justification of the ICFH project Sustainable value The project was initiated as a conservation measure to protect the Houbara Bustards in order to cut their exploitation to levels that are biologically sustainable.

The objective was to call for preventative and scientifically approved restriction on the number of houbara that could be hunted lawfully yet with more stringent enforcement measures capable of combating illegal forms of trade and hunting. Indeed, a study of the populations of the birds between1998 and 2002 indicated that the bird were alarmingly declining across the Middle East, North Africa, and Central Asia, with severe declines in the Kyzylkum Desert (Tourenq et al. (1–8 as cited in Allinson 4-7).

A later study by Riou et al. (64–70 as cited in Allinson 4-7) in 2009 during the course of implementing the IFCH showed increased and stabilising population of the birds. During the time, the levels of the bird’s population decline had approached levels that qualified the birds to be classified as endangered. A report by Hamdan and Ameri (4-8) indicated that when the hunting was not reduced, the species stood to warrant up-listing. On the other hand, when the conservation efforts succeeded leading to stabilising of their population, the species would be down-listed.

These reasons justified a need to initiate the ICFH project to oversee the conservation of the birds to levels that are sustainable biologically. The population of the Houbara Bustard had been in constant decline since the early 20th century. The ICFH is making efforts to reverse the trend by hatching and reintroducing more than 40,000 birds annually. For instance, more than 48,000 Houbara birds were hatched in 2015 (The National Staff 1). Ethical, cultural and economic reasons for initiating the project The ethical approaches to conservation of the Houbara Bustard birds have a protracted history in the Arab society: the birds and their habitat should not be destroyed as they are a component of the broader Arab spiritual and ethical web.

The conservation has a historical link to the ethical precepts needed for protecting the ecology as part of the human’s responsibility. In which case, one reason for establishing the ICFH was to reinforce human’s responsibility as ‘stewards’ of biological resources of the earth (Bryce 1). It also conforms to the ethical argument that humans have no right to annihilate the birds and their habitat or deny their future generations of a chance to interact, see the birds and derive the same pleasure from falconry (Blench 4-5).

Falcon hunting has also been used as an instrument for teaching the ethical virtues of trust and patience. For instance, in Saudi Arabia, the falcon hunting is believed to promote to “al-shareek,” an Arabic word meaning “partner ethics” of comradeship, taking responsibility, and sharing. These ethical concerns have strong emotional appeal although they remain exceedingly culture-based, as they present the case that people who do not accept their cultural assumptions would not be rewarded with deriving future pleasures from the Houbara Bustard (Blench 4-5).

The ICFH conservation and sustainable strategy is an effort integral to preservation biodiversity. The Arab cultures have some their roots in biological diversity. For instance, the traditional hunts of the Houbara Bustard symbolize the enduring tradition of gathering meat through the use of falcons. Indeed, in the 1970s, the tradition was significantly popular among royals who tended to hunt the Houbara Bustard.

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