Sustainable hunting and the conservation of the threatened houbara bustards

First Report of Low Pathogenic Avian Influenza Subtype H9N2 in African Houbara Bustards (Chlamydotis undulata undulata) and Gamebirds in Morocco: Clinico-Pathological Findings, Molecular Characterization, and Associated Coinfections

We report in this paper the first detection of low pathogenic avian influenza (LPAI) subtype H9N2 in houbara bustards and in gamebirds in Morocco. Starting in 2019, an increase in mortality rates related to respiratory distress was recorded in these species. Necropsy of the specimens revealed fibrinous sinusitis and tracheitis with intra-bronchial fibrin casts, which are consistent with H9N2 infection in chickens; therefore, implication of the virus in these outbreaks was strongly suspected. Consequently, between January 2020 and June 2023, birds with respiratory signs were necropsied for pathological lesions, tissue samples were examined by histopathology, and samples of trachea, lungs, and cecal tonsils were analyzed using quantitative real-time PCR for the detection of H9N2 virus. In addition, the sequencing of isolates was performed and lastly differential diagnosis with other respiratory pathogens was carried out. During the study period, 93 samples were collected from suspected H9N2 outbreaks, of which 30 tested positive for H9N2 virus: 23 Houbara bustards, 4 partridges, 2 quails, and 1 pheasant. Moreover, sequencing of the HA gene of the virus showed 97.33% nucleotide identity with strains reported previously in broilers in Morocco in 2017 and in 2022. Phylogenetic analysis grouped the Moroccan partridge isolates in the same cluster as viruses isolated in Morocco between 2016 and 2022, Algeria (2017), Burkina Faso (2017), Nigeria (2019), and Togo (2020). Additionally, 10 house sparrows from the premises of these birds were examined for the presence of H9N2 virus, revealing a 30% positivity rate. In conclusion, LPAIV H9N2 is circulating in houbara bustards and gamebirds in Morocco, and house sparrows might be a possible source of the infection. To our knowledge, this is the first report of LPAI H9N2 in the African species of houbara bustards worldwide and in gamebirds in Morocco.

Quantifying egg attendance behaviours of wild Asian houbara can improve artificial incubation outcomes

Artificial incubation is fundamental in ex situ avian conservation interventions for an increasing range of threatened species, but incubation parameters can differ between species. Both egg-turning angle and frequency are critical for successful embryonic development, but measuring these parameters in wild birds has historically been difficult. Using data-loggers inside artificial eggs that accurately record parental egg attendance behaviours, we quantified turning angles and rates throughout the incubation of 6 nesting wild Asian houbaras Chlamydotis macqueenii, a species bred in captivity in response to human over-exploitation. Wild females turned their eggs 0.6 times h-1 with a mean angle of 40.9° turn-1. Mimicking the patterns of wild birds (‘wild’ treatment), we applied a mean angular change of 40-50° turn once h-1 to artificially incubated eggs and compared this to eggs treated with an existing protocol (‘control’) of 120-130° per turn. Mean hatchability for the wild treatment (78.8%, n = 766) was similar to the control (76.6%, n = 1196). The wild treatment (n = 591) produced significantly heavier hatchlings (2.7%) than the control treatment (n = 893). However, chick growth rates (g d-1 and daily % mass change) and survival to Day 10 were not different between groups. The wild treatment demonstrates that turning angles affect embryo development and, perhaps, hatchability. Investigating natural incubation behaviours using egg-loggers and applying these patterns to artificial incubation appears efficacious to achieve optimal incubation protocols and reduce the need for ex situ trial and error refinement in conservation interventions of captive-bred threatened bird species.

Captive breeding and the conservation of the threatened houbara bustards

Translocation of captive-bred individuals to reinforce wild populations may be an important conservation approach for some species, but can be detrimental when employed to boost exploited wild populations, particularly where repeated long-term reinforcement aims to compensate for repeated unregulated offtake. We review evidence that captive breeding alters multiple physiological, life-history and temperamental traits through founder effects, genetic drift and unintended adaption to captivity; degrades learnt behaviours; and compromises biogeography, population structure and viability through introgression. We highlight these risks for the globally threatened African houbara Chlamydotis undulata and Asian houbara C. macqueenii, 2 bustard species hunted throughout much of their ranges and now subject to multiple large-scale captive-breeding programmes and translocations. In eastern Morocco, annual releases of captive-bred African houbara are 2‒3 times higher than original wild numbers, but no investigation of their potentially deleterious effects has, to our knowledge, been published, although most wild populations may now have been replaced by captive-bred domestic stock, which are reportedly not self-sustaining. Despite multiple decades of reinforcement, we are not aware of any analysis of the contribution of captive breeding to African houbara population dynamics, or of the genomic consequences. Asian houbara release programmes may also be promoting rather than preventing declines, and need to contextualise themselves through rigorous analyses of wild population numbers, demographic rates and threats, maintenance of phylogeographic concordance of released with supplemented populations, profiling of traits crucial to survival and the measurement and modelling of the impacts of reinforcement on physiological and behavioural fitness of wild populations.

Socio-Economic Effects of National Park Governance and Management: Lessons from Post-Socialist Era Estonia

Despite the significant increase in protected territory globally, there is a common understanding that the designation of protected areas alone does not guarantee their effectiveness nor halt the loss of biodiversity. In addition to biodiversity conservation, protected areas are expected to perform a number of other functions, such as provide ecosystem services and improve local socio-economic conditions. Therefore, the need to strive towards mixed, decentralized conservation management and stakeholder involvement is increasingly emphasized. Although there is limited research, it has been noted that protected areas have not served wider objectives effectively enough. The current study provides insight concerning socio-economic effects of different governance and management practices of protected areas based on perceptions of residents and stakeholders of five national parks of Estonia. It was found that conservation status has an important impact on local socio-economic conditions largely depending on governance and management practices, resulting in both, positive and negative effects. It was concluded that the centralization of nature conservation and the abolition of protected area administrations have led to a gradual distancing of nature conservation from local conditions and the population, causing concern about the preservation of the living environment.