11 Apr 2007
Abu Dhabi: The Environment Agency - Abu Dhabi (EAD) has recently released 18 houbara bustards in the mountains of the Pakistani province of Balochistan.
According to EAD, the birds were released in the wild with the cooperation of the Houbara Foundation International.
Mohammad Ahmad Al Bowardi, EAD Managing Director and Secretary General of the Abu Dhabi Executive Council, Majid Al Mansouri, Secretary- General of EAD, Brigadier (Retired) Mukhtar Ahmad, General Manager of the Houbara Foundation International Pakistan (HFIP), and representatives of local and international organisations witnessed the release.
Breeding
Elaborating on the release of the birds Al Bowardi said the story dates back to 1999-2001 when the National Avian Research Centre (NARC) managed to get 50 houbara of Pakistani origin from Taif Centre in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia.
"Since then, NARC worked on captive-breeding these birds, preserving their original genetic make-up by a careful management of their breeding. A number of pure-bred houbaras of Pakistani origin, hatched at NARC in spring 2006, and were prepared for release to their original land," he explained.
Al Bowardi added that the process of bird or animal release to the wild is always carried out in accordance with international protocols such as IUCN (World Conservation Union) Guidelines for Re-introduction. About the latest release, he said some were tagged with satellite transmitters, some tagged with ground telemetry systems and the rest with identification rings and microchips.
He said, "Satellite and radio transmitters were strapped to the 18 released houbara to track their movements. The data provided by these transmitters would be used to determine to what extent the rehabilitation and release of these birds was successful. The efforts exerted by NARC researchers will not end at this point - they will follow the birds continuously and protect their natural habitat in cooperation with HFIP."
He noted that the number of houbara bustards in Pakistan is dropping under the pressure of habitat degradation and over-hunting.
"Therefore, it was necessary to release these birds, in addition to others in the future," the EAD Managing Director said.
Al Bowardi also pointed out that the programme of houbara captive-breeding, conducted by NARC for several years, is intended to increase the number of birds in captivity while preserving geographically distinct bloodlines of the species.
Strategies
He stressed the importance of regional and international cooperation to put strategies of houbara conservation into effect. He also hopes that the release of these 18 houbara, initiated by the UAE, would help stimulate such cooperation.
Al Bowardi described the captive-breeding programme as a great success.
"Guided by a pre-designed strategy and development plan, release of the 18 houbara is a reflection of the programme's success ... it will be followed with further similar releases in central Asia, actively contributing to the world strategy of houbara conservation."
By Nissar Hoath
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
