The Spanish National Research Council (CSIC) wants to alert the Yaiza City Council that the "Yaiza Municipal Shooting Range" is being built within the habitat of the Canary Islands Houbara bustard. The CSIC's Bird Ecology and Conservation Research Group is developing the project entitled "Genetic diversity and reproductive success of the Houbara bustard in the Canary Islands" in the eastern Canary Islands, financed by the Ministry of Ecological Transition, Climate Change and Territorial Planning of the Government of the Canary Islands.
In the letter sent to the Yaiza City Council, the Research Group points out that "After having carried out the census of the Houbara bustard population of Lanzarote in 2018, we estimate the size of the island's population at 440-452 individuals, with some specimens of the species being found in this area. In addition, between 2017 and 2021 the Research Group marked more than 50 specimens with emitters, which has allowed us to verify that the Houbara bustards use this area. It is also important to point out that during the productivity sampling carried out in 2018, a Houbara bustard female with a chick was spotted in the vicinity of the shooting range location, making it a nesting and breeding area for the species."
The Canary Islands subspecies of Houbara bustard is considered "endangered" in the Spanish Catalogue of Endangered Species (RD 139-2011). The loss or alteration of its habitat, as well as disturbance by human activities, is one of the main problems affecting its conservation.
In addition to affecting the Houbara bustard, the construction of the Yaiza municipal shooting range would affect other species that use this habitat, such as the Stone Curlew, Trumpeter Finch, Grey Heron, Common Kestrel, Great Grey Shrike, Eurasian Skylark, Water Pipit and Barbary Partridge, and may have significant impacts on the rest of the terrestrial bird community in the area, which can be described as unique, both nationally and internationally, and which are threatened or in danger of extinction: Eleonora's falcon, Canary barn owl, Egyptian vulture, Barbary falcon and Canary raven.
For all the above reasons, the CSIC research team has requested the Yaiza City Council to halt the works in the area, return the land to its original state, seek an alternative location to carry out this activity and urges the authorities to adopt the measures it deems appropriate to ensure adequate conservation of this natural site.
