Saudi Gazette report
TABUK — The Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve has reintroduced the Asian houbara bustard after its absence in the reserve for more than 35 years. This reintroduction, which is part of the reserve’s mission to ReWild Arabia, forms part of a renewed, science-led approach to conserving a bird that has shaped cultural life in the Arabian Peninsula for millennia.
Twenty Asian houbara have been released within Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve, as part of an ongoing collaboration between the reserve, the National Center for Wildlife, and the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Houbara Conservation Foundation, which aims to establish viable wild populations of the Asian houbara in the Kingdom.
Historically, flocks of both migratory and resident Asian houbara (Chlamydotis macqueenii) ranged from Egypt to China. In Saudi Arabia, the species bred in large numbers, while migratory birds wintered widely across the Arabian Peninsula. At present, the Asian houbara is classified as Critically Endangered across the Arabian Peninsula by the IUCN, with its population in continued decline despite decades of conservation efforts and captive breeding programs. Wild resident populations are no longer found in Saudi Arabia, and migratory individuals are now only occasionally observed along the edges of the Kingdom’s northern and eastern borders.
CEO of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Houbara Conservation Foundation Olivier Combreau said, “The release provides an opportunity for the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Houbara Conservation Foundation, working with partners, to test rewilding techniques and generate data to inform future release strategies in the Kingdom. Ten birds have been fitted with satellite tracking devices, providing essential data on survival, movement patterns, habitat use, and threats faced by reintroduced birds. This data will inform future releases and support long-term population recovery within the Kingdom and throughout the wider region.”
The reserve’s long-term marine and terrestrial management framework is delivering habitat-wide restoration across 24,500 km², and with an advanced ranger program and robust community engagement, are together providing the environment and protection required to support large-scale rewilding.
Arabian falconry, whose prized trophy is the houbara, has been part of cultural life in the Arabian Peninsula for thousands of years. This living human heritage was recognized by UNESCO in 2021, when falconry was inscribed on the Representative List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity. Historically, nomadic communities lived in harmony with seasonal cycles, ensuring hunting took place only at certain times to maintain the species’ sustainability. However, pressures from habitat loss, unsustainable hunting, and unregulated poaching led to a rapid houbara population decline from the mid-20th century onwards.
In response to this decline, the late Prince Saud Al-Faisal established the first dedicated houbara breeding and research center in Taif in 1985, pioneering effective captive propagation methods. Today, houbara breeding centers operate across the Gulf. However, despite the large number of birds produced in captivity, the re-establishment of self-sustaining wild populations has remained elusive. The mission of the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Houbara Conservation Foundation is to work on this significant conservation challenge.
CEO of Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve Andrew Zaloumis stated: “The immense cultural and historical significance of Arabian falconry and the Asian houbara has driven more than four decades of rigorous scientific research into houbara breeding. Today, houbara are being bred in significant numbers. The next houbara conservation frontier is achieving the survival rates in the wild needed to establish self-sustaining populations. Through our investment in, and collaboration with, the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Houbara Conservation Foundation, we are committed to re-establishing viable populations of wild Asian houbara within the reserve and across the Kingdom.”
The Asian houbara is the 13th species to be reintroduced to Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve as part of its rewilding program to return 23 native species to their historical range. The reintroduction is part of the reserve’s ongoing partnership with the National Center for Wildlife, the Prince Mohammed bin Salman Houbara Conservation Foundation, and fellow royal reserves, supporting the commitments of Vision 2030 and the Saudi Green Initiative to enhance biodiversity, restore desert ecosystems, and protect 30 percent of the Kingdom’s land and sea by 2030.
One of eight royal reserves, the 24,500 km² Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve stretches from the lava plains of the Harrats to the deep Red Sea in the west, connecting NEOM, Red Sea Global, and AlUla. It is home to PIF’s Wadi Al Disah project and Red Sea Global’s Destination AMAALA.
The reserve encompasses 15 distinct ecosystems. At just 1% of the Kingdom’s terrestrial area and 1.8% of its marine area, it boasts over 50% of the Kingdom’s species, making it one of the most biodiverse protected areas in the Middle East.
Prince Mohammed bin Salman Royal Reserve is overseen by the Royal Reserves Council, chaired by Crown Prince and Prime Minister Mohammed bin Salman. The reserve’s program is integrated with Saudi Arabia’s wider sustainability and conservation programs, including the Saudi Green and Middle East Green Initiatives.
