About the Great Bustard Group

Formation

The story of the Great Bustard Group begins in 1997 at the final meeting of the Great Bustard Trust, a UK registered charity, set up by the Honourable Aylmer Tryon in 1970. The Trust had been involved in a Great Bustard captive breeding project at Porton Down in Wiltshire, with an aim of one day releasing captive-bred chicks. Unfortunately, they failed to raise any young and the original birds ended up in the care of Whipsnade Zoo, where the last one, named Kato, died in 1999. During their final meeting the Trust learnt of a potential ethical source of Great Bustards from Russia that could be used for captive rear and release, rather than captive breeding. A new organisation, The Great Bustard Group, was formed to take forward the new approach.

Great Bustard Consortium

In accordance with the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (As Amended), the licence to release Great Bustards in the UK is granted to the Great Bustard Consortium, comprised of:

Based on a detailed sceintific feasibility study, the GBC applied for a trial licence to release up to 40 Great Bustards per year for ten consecutive years from the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). The licence was granted in late 2003 and the first UK release of Great Bustards took place the following year, in autumn 2004.

Great Bustard Consultative Committee

One of the conditions of the Defra licence is the requirement for a Great Bustard Consultative Committee (GBCC) to review progress with the reintroduction project. The GBCC meets twice a year to review progress of the trial. In addition, the GBCC has corresponding members from across Europe to assist its activities through sharing information and expertise. The committee consists of representatives from the following organisations:

Funding

Funding has and continues to be the biggest obstacle to overcome for the GBG. The problem is that Great Bustards are considered an alien species under English law despite all the evidence that they were once native! When the Wildlife and Countryside Act was granted assent in 1981, the legislation that now covers English wildlife, Great Bustards had not bred in the UK for over 150 years and were consequently left off the relevant Schedules of the Act. By default, they are therefore classed as an alien species and this has major repercussions regarding their reintroduction. Only native species can qualify for Biodiversity Action Plan status which is a UK government policy devised to prioritise conservation funding and action towards species and habitats that are in most need of help. BAP status has become a principal criteria by most environmental grant bodies such as the Heritage Lottery Fund.

The GBG has always raised as much of its own funds as possible in a sustainable way. It charges for membership to the GBG, for guided tours of the release site and produces a range of Great Bustard merchandise. In 2002, with GBG membership growing rapidly, it became a Registered Charity and subsequently benefits substantially from Gift Aid. The GBG also receives valuable sponsorship and support from local organisations and substantial donations from many generous private individuals.