Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata undulata is protected by the Tunisian law and several international conventions to which Tunisia is signatory. This did not prevent the near-extermination of the Tunisian population of Houbara Bustard by poaching of the emirs of the gulf states and which was authorised during more than 20 years by the Ben Ali regime.
At the beginning of November the Association “Les Amis des Oiseaux” (AAO – BirdLife in Tunisia) observed the impending threat of new poaching efforts. The AAO informed the authorities and civil society of the poaching risks, including organising a press conference in collaboration with other environmental organisations.
“To date all our calls to the Tunisian authorities remained without response”, says Claudia Feltrup Azafzaf, Project Director at AAO. “Therefore, we ask the President of the Republic and the current government to take a stand and to ensure that our laws are enforced and conserve the wildlife and in particular our last Houbara Bustards.”
This post was written by AAO – who has written 2 posts on BirdLife Community. BirdLife comprises more than 100 conservation organisations working together to promote sustainable living as a means to conserve biodiversity. The Association “Les Amis des Oiseaux” is the BirdLife Partner in Tunisia.
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