дрофа – Отис Тарда

The precarious conservation situation in the entire European distribution area has prompted the European Union to designate the Great Bustard as a bird species to be prioritised for protection. The member states - including Austria - are therefore obliged to initiate comprehensive conservation measures to permanently safeguard the remaining populations.

The Birds Directive is a European Union directive on the conservation of wild bird species. The Birds Directive (Council Directive 79/409/EEC) of the European Union has also had to be implemented in Austria since its accession on 1 January 1995. The aim of the Birds Directive is to maintain or re-establish a sufficient diversity and an appropriate size of habitats for wild bird species. The species listed in the directive and their habitats are to be permanently protected by designating protected areas as part of the EU-wide Natura 2000 network of protected areas.

The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) regulates international trade in endangered species of wild animals and plants and their products. The implementation of the convention is intended to protect over 3,000 animal and 30,000 plant species threatened by international trade from extinction. The Convention, which provides for a comprehensive control system for trade in endangered species, has been in force in Austria since 1982. The penalties for offences range from EUR 726 to EUR 36,336. Particularly serious offences are punishable by up to two years' imprisonment.

The Bern Convention is an agreement within the Council of Europe for the protection of wild animal species and their natural habitats. Austria is a member of the Bern Convention. The Convention essentially pursues the following objectives: -protection of wild fauna and flora together with their natural habitats; promotion of intergovernmental co-operation in the field of species protection; -conservation of endangered species in particular, including migratory species. Austria acceded to the Bern Convention in 1983 (Federal Law Gazette No. 372/1983). In Austria, the contents and objectives of the Bern Convention are laid down in the nature conservation laws of the federal provinces and in the hunting laws.

‘Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of the Middle-European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda)’

As part of the Bonn Convention, the ‘Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of the Middle-European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda)’ was brought into force on 1 June 2001 by Hungary and five other countries (Bulgaria, Greece, Macedonia, Moldova, Romania). The aims of the memorandum include strengthening Great Bustard protection at an intergovernmental level, supporting habitat protection programmes, some of which have already been in existence for many years, placing them in an international context and legally securing them in the long term. The memorandum was also signed by Austria and Slovakia on 28 November 2001. In the meantime (as of 02/2025), 20 countries in Europe have signed the Memorandum of Understanding for the protection of the Great Bustard. Further information is available here
Since 2004, five meetings have already taken place at which the signatories come together to discuss conservation measures and developments in population dynamics:

2023
The fifth Meeting of the Signatories (MOS5) of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of the Central European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) took place in Bratislava (Slovakia) from 20 to 21 September 2023, coinciding with an international scientific symposium on 18 and 19 September 2023. Relevant documents (e.g. Action Plan), presentations and national reports can be found here.

A declaration on the long-term protection of the Great Bustard in the border triangle of Hungary, Austria and Slovakia and its surroundings was signed in September by the representatives of Austria (Mr Peter Iwaniewicz, Director, Federal Ministry for Climate Policy), Slovakia (Ms Katarína Butkovská, State Secretary, Ministry of the Environment) and Hungary (Mr Bertalan Balczó, Director, Ministry of Agriculture) as part of the MoS5. They committed to jointly protect and improve the natural habitats of the Great Bustard, to continue monitoring and research for the benefit of the population and, last but not least, to co-operate with each other by exchanging information on current support for farmers under the EU's Common Agricultural Policy.

2018
The fourth Meeting of the Signatories (MOS5) of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of the Central European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) took place from 14-15 March 2018 in Bad Belzig, Brandenburg, Germany, coinciding with an international scientific symposium from 12-13 March. Relevant documents (e.g. action plan), presentations and national reports can be found here.

2013
The third meeting of the signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of the Central European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) was scheduled for 8-12 April 2013 in Szwarvas, Hungary. A scientific symposium attended by Great Bustard experts from across Europe and parts of AsiaRelevant documents (e.g. action plan), presentations and national reports can be found here.

2008
The second meeting of the signatories to the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of the Central European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) was scheduled for 9 to 12 November 2008 in Feodosia, Crimea, Ukraine. A one-day scientific symposium was also held, attended by great bustard experts from all over Europe and parts of Asia. Relevant documents (e.g. action plan), presentations and national reports can be found here.

2004
The first meeting of the signatories of the Memorandum of Understanding on the Conservation and Management of the Central European Population of the Great Bustard (Otis tarda) took place in Illmitz, Austria, on 16-17 September 2004. Two days earlier, from 14-15 September, the international scientific symposium was held. Relevant documents (e.g. action plan), presentations and national reports can be found here.