Researchers from the National Museum of Natural Sciences (MNCN-CSIC) have presented an extensive document of allegations to the draft of the Recovery Plan for the Canary Houbara (Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae), an endemic subspecies of the Canary archipelago that is in danger of extinction. These allegations, based on scientific findings obtained over the eight years of research carried out within the framework of the Houbara Project, aim to enrich the technical content of the Plan and reinforce the effectiveness of its strategies.
“Among our proposals, those aimed at reducing mortality and others that aim to increase the reproductive rate of the houbara by improving the quality of their habitat, which is very deteriorated by climate change and by human action”, explains MNCN researcher Juan Carlos Alonso, who directs the Houbara Project. “We advise burying the most dangerous power and telephone lines as the only effective solution to avoid collisions with the cables, the main cause of anthropogenic mortality of these birds. We also propose measures to reduce road accidents, another of the most important causes of death in this species”, adds Alonso.
Other recommendations attempt to reduce the predation of houbara by feral or domestic cats that roam uncontrolled through areas of high ecological value. To stop the degradation of the habitat, the restoration of gavias in Fuerteventura is recommended, and the extension of these actions to other gavias not included in the Plan, in order to guarantee food for the houbara during the summer, which is the most critical season of the year. In addition, the sowing of legumes as an additional food source on the three islands, Fuerteventura, Lanzarote and La Graciosa, is proposed. Finally, the researchers emphasize the need to design specific actions for the conservation and restoration of degraded gorse bushes, plant formations essential for the feeding and breeding of the species.
“Regarding the protection of the territory, we propose declaring a new Special Protection Area for Birds (SPA) in the Zonzamas area (Lanzarote), which we have identified as the most important post-reproductive area for the houbara on this island”, mentions Alberto Ucero, a researcher on the team who has developed his doctoral thesis on the human effects on the conservation of the houbara. “Within the framework of the plan for the management of public use of the Tindaya–Esquinzo Critical Area (Fuerteventura), priority should be given to the sector between Tindaya, Playa de Esquinzo and Playa de Tebeto, due to its high value for the conservation of the species”, concludes Ucero.
The CSIC scientists highly value the recent preparation of this Houbara Recovery Plan by the technicians and authorities responsible for the environment of the Canary Government and urge that all necessary measures be adopted without further delay to definitively stop the population decline of the Canary houbara, whose current situation is already extremely critical.
