Great Bustard – Otis tarda

Thanks to decades of cooperation with farmers, hunters, nature conservation organisations and electricity providers, and especially thanks to the LIFE Great Bustard project, the bustard population in the Carpathian Basin has not only stabilised but has started to increase, said Bertalan Balczó, Deputy State Secretary for Nature Protection of the Ministry of Agriculture, at the closing event of the project "LIFE Great Bustard, Cross-border protection of the Great Bustard in Central Europe (2016-2024)" in Kunszentmiklós on Wednesday, 27.11.2024.

He explained that protecting of these birds requires several actions: using eco-friendly farming methods, working with wildlife managers to control predators, and reducing the danger of overhead power lines through partnerships with electric transmission companies.

The LIFE Great Bustard project played a key role in these achievements. The Hungarian Ministry of Agriculture’s Working Group is also updating the conservation plan, supported by partnerships with Slovakia and Austria under the Bonn Convention. A global initiative, "Bustards without Borders (BWB)" is creating a conservation plan for all 26 bustard species worldwide.

At the event, partner organizations renewed their commitment to cooperation by signing an agreement to continue the Great Bustard’s conservation efforts. Balczó expressed hope that ongoing teamwork will lead to further success and inspire bird conservation efforts globally.

Mag. Dr. Rainer Raab from TB Raab GmbH said: "Great Bustard protection in Central Europe - especially in the tri-border area of Austria-Hungary-Slovakia is one of the biggest success stories of nature conservation in the last three decades. Together with our partners from Hungary and Slovakia we managed to increase one of the smallest sub-populations of the world to the population with the highest density of Great Bustards in the whole world nowadays. I am happy to see that a long-term agreement was signed for the continuation of Great Bustard protection in Hungary between 8 important parties. And it is a pleasure to support all these activities as a member of the Coordination Unit of Bustards without Borders."

© Vermes Tibor, kormany.hu