UAE
The United Arab Emirates
National Avian Research Centre - Sweihan
The Centre located in Sweihan, Abu Dhabi, was established in 1989 as the first centre specialised in breeding and conducting research related to the Asian Houbara bustard. It is the global leader in research on the Asian Houbara with advanced programmes studying the physiological, genetic and behavioral characteristics of the Asian Houbara.
It is also the base for collecting and assessing all data from birds carrying tracking devices throughout their range countries in the Middle East and Central Asia.
Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre - AD, Saih Al Salam
The construction work at the Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre – Abu Dhabi (SKHBC-AD) began in 2010 in the eastern province of Abu Dhabi. It is IFHC’s second centre in the United Arab Emirates and reached full production in 2012.. The main objective of the centre is to increase the number of captive-bred birds, which contributes to the Fund’s overall objective to maintain and support wild populations.
Important Milestones in the Conservation of Asian Houbara:
1977 Houbara Conservation programme initiated at Al Ain Zoo
1982 – First captive-bred Houbara chick hatched
1989 Establishment of the National Avian Research Centre.
1993 Works begins at centre.
1994 Installation of the first satellite tracking device on wild Houbara.
1995 Studies launched on Houbara in Central Asia.
1997 Gathering the first information from the tracking devices installed on Houbara.
1998 Launch of a long-term programme for tracking Houbara.
2000 Production increases in the breeding programme.
2002 Initiating of successful protocols for breeding operations.
2004 Release of first five captive-bred Asian Houbara into the wild.
2005 NARC designs techniques to control environmental conditions in order to increase production outside the breeding season.
2007 Three captive-bred Houbara birds observed nesting in the desert in the UAE, proving the possibility of Houbara breeding in the local environment.
2008 Production at NARC reaches 980 captive-bred Houbara, while 12 nests captive-bred Houbara are identified nests in Abu Dhabi.
2010 Construction work starts at Sheikh Khalifa Centre Houbara Breeding Centre- Abu Dhabi in the area of Saih al-Salam.
2012 The opening of Sheikh Khalifa Houbara Breeding Centre, the second facility in Abu Dhabi.
2013 Inclusion of the importance of conserving the Houbara in the curriculum in light of an agreement with the Abu Dhabi Education Council.
2015 For the first time in Pakistan birds produced in UAE from genetic assets identical to wild Houbara in Pakistan were released.