Saudi Grants First Permit for Breeding Houbara Bustard, With Target of 15K Birds by 2026
The National Center for Wildlife (NWC) granted the first official permit for breeding houbara bustard birds in Saudi Arabia to one of the centres specialised in this field. It is the first permit of its kind so far, with a validity period extending to one year, subject to renewal. The project aims to produce 15,000 houbara birds by the year 2026.
With this initiative, NWC aims to accelerate Saudi Arabia’s need for breeding of houbara bustards with the participation of private sector institutions and contributing directly to providing solutions to increase their numbers in a scientific and systematic manner. It is expected that the coming period will witness the granting of more similar licenses.
Meanwhile, the centre that obtained the license stated that it would work in accordance with scientific controls and by specialized Saudi competencies with high-quality standards. The project will be implemented in an area covering 500,000 square meters, which provides a more ideal environment for the release of captive-bred houbara into protected areas.
At the same time, it is concerned with preparing Houbara birds even after their release to ensure the quality of the product and to maintain its conformity with the requirements set by the NWC.
