In view of the censuses carried out by the International Council for Bird Preservation (ICBP) towards the end of the seventies and at the beginning of the eighties, which yielded alarming results about the Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae , populations in the Canary Islands, the ICONA (Institute for the Conservation of Nature in Spain) commissioned a Recovery Plan in 1985. This plan included, amongst other measures, the establishing of conservation areas, a management plan for the species and an educational and awareness raising plan. Also, although this was not a priority, facilities for the breeding in captivity of these birds were built in La Oliva (Fuerteventura) and the first specimens were captured.

The passing in 1987 of the Canary Islands Natural Spaces Law, that included as protected areas

facilities for the breeding in captivity (Fuerteventura)

some that were a priority for the species, meant an improvement in the conservation of its habitat. One year later some of these spaces were included in the SPA network of the Canary Islands.

In 1998 SEO/Birdlife holds a meeting with the public administration in order to revise the Action Plan for the species and to carry forward the drafting of its Recovery Plan

Proposed conservation measures

- Revising, updating and publication of the Recovery Plan that this species needs in view of its protection category.

- Declaring as SPA those areas that are a priority to the Houbara Bustard Chlamydotis undulata fuertaventurae ,, taking a particular interest in those most important in Lanzarote, where the majority lack protection. Also, some already existing SPA, in view of nowadays data, should be modified and their area enlarged.

- Vigilating critical areas, particularly in breeding season, so that anthropic disturbance can be reduced.

- Identifying high mortality spots due to powerlines and proposing alternative measures (modification of the placing of those lines, undergrounding of the most dangerous stretches, etc..) Also, new lines should be avoided in priority areas for the species.

- Carrying out every five years of a simultaneous census in all the islands where the population is distributed, using the same methodology used in the last census - carried out in 1994 by the team of ornithologists of the La Laguna University - so that results are comparable.

- Continuing research related to its biology and particularly that related to reproductive success, incidence of predators, impact of cattle and habitat use.