Defra grants license to bring great bustards back to Salisbury plains

The Great Bustard, the heaviest flying bird in the world and once native to the UK, might be seen again on Salisbury Plain through a trial re-introduction scheme approved today by Ben Bradshaw, the Minister for Nature Conservation.

The Great Bustard Consortium, which is made up of the Great Bustard Group (a group of interested great bustard enthusiasts) and the University of Stirling, sought approval to release up to 40 Great Bustard chicks per year (for five to 10 years) on to Salisbury Plain, in Wiltshire. The chicks will be raised, avoiding human imprinting, from eggs collected from nests that would otherwise be destroyed or abandoned on cultivated farmland in Saratov in Russia.

A licence is required under Section 16 of the Wildlife & Countryside Act 1981 to release into a wild habitat species which are not normally present in Britain. This enables Defra to assess the potential risks associated with the proposed introduction and ensure that releases of non-native species will not have an adverse impact on the environment. An import licence is also required under the relevant European regulations governing the Control in Trade of Endangered Species in order that the hatchlings may legally enter the EU.

Ben Bradshaw said:

"It will be thrilling if this species of bird could be successfully re-introduced into the UK after so many years of being absent. Enhancing and protecting our wildlife and habitats is at the core of Defra's business. Achieving this with the right balance is critical if we are to safeguard the existing eco-system.

"We have consulted widely before issuing this licence with conservation bodies including English Nature, the Joint Nature Conservation Committee and the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds, they are content that the interests of the birds will be safeguarded by the conditions of the licence. "

Before the project can begin in the Spring licences need to be granted under the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES). If approved the CITES licence will be granted just prior to the import of the Great Bustard chicks into the UK.

A condition of the ten year licence is that results of the project will be closely monitored and evaluated each year by Defra, in consultation with the RSPB, the Joint Nature Conservation Council and English Nature. The licence may be revoked at any time if there is evidence of danger to native biodiversity or the donor population in Russia.