A secure breeding population
A facility able to sustain a captive population of Houbara bustards and native thick-knees.
Our Conservation Goal
Breeding and Restoring Houbara Bustards and Thick-knees in Ethiopia
A proposed joint initiative for the conservation, captive breeding and range restoration of Houbara bustards and thick-knees. This is a goal we are working toward, and no partnership has been formalised yet.
Proposed initiative, in planningPlanned Phase I: 5-year pilot setup and founder breeding
Our Conservation Goal
The goal in brief
Establish a modern breeding and research facility in Ethiopia to help prevent the local decline of wild Houbara bustards and thick-knees, and strengthen wild populations through managed releases.
Bring together EWCA's authority over wildlife, Falconry Ethiopia's operational capacity on the ground, and the UAE's decades of experience in avian breeding.
Why it matters
Pressure on grassland birds
Habitat fragmentation, poaching and climate pressure are affecting bustards and other grassland birds across the Horn of Africa.
Proven expertise to learn from
Breeding centres in the UAE have spent decades refining incubation, breeding and diet protocols for Houbara. We aim to bring that knowledge to Ethiopia.
Our Conservation Goal
What we aim to achieve
Restored wild ranges
Carefully tracked soft releases into protected Ethiopian ecosystems and the birds' historical ranges.
Sustainable heritage
A framework for strictly regulated eco-tourism and traditional falconry that funds local community development.
Our Conservation Goal
Proposed roles
How we envision each institution contributing, subject to agreement.
EWCA
Regulatory and lead conservation entity
Oversight and permits for founding stock, land in protected areas, and enforcement.
Falconry Ethiopia Bloc PLC
Operations and logistics lead
Co-investment, building the facility, site operations, local staffing and community outreach.
UAE Houbara specialists
Proposed technical and knowledge partner
Genetic management, training for Ethiopian biologists, facility design guidance and veterinary oversight.
Our Conservation Goal
How it would work
Choosing the site
A semi-arid, low-density area under EWCA oversight that suits the birds' natural climate.
Founding population
Regulated egg collection and genetic screening under EWCA and scientific guidelines, to protect genetic integrity.
Breeding and release training
Assisted reproduction, controlled incubation and pre-release training such as predator awareness.
Expected impact
Reversing the shrinking breeding ranges of these birds, creating skilled local jobs, and showing that well-regulated falconry can actively fund conservation.
Interested in supporting this goal?
We welcome conversations with conservation bodies, researchers and patrons who share this vision.
Get in touch