Partnership

Research studies were recognized from beginning as a critical element for the success of the project.

Indeed, very little was known about the captive-breeding, the biology and the ecology of the North African houbara bustard and very little information was also available on the situation of wild populations in Eastern Morocco at the creation of the project in 1995 (ECWP Conservation Strategy).

Partnerships were established with various research institutions:

– Collaboration with Université de Bourgogne, France: Study on the reproductive anatomy of African Houbara Bustards (PhD).

– Collaboration with the Federal University of Minas Gerais, Brazil: Study on the reproductive anatomy of Falcons (Master’s).

– Collaboration with Instituto de Investigación en Recursos Cinegéticos (IREC), Spain: Study on digestive and blood parasites in Houbara Bustards (PhD).

– Collaboration with École Nationale Vétérinaire de Toulouse (ENVT), France: Pathological investigations on avian influenza, salpingitis, and respiratory syndrome in Houbara Bustards (PhD).

– Collaboration with Museu de les Illes Balears, Spain: Biodiversity study of Morocco’s arid steppes focusing on terrestrial isopods (Isopodes terrestres).

– Collaboration with Muséum de Dijon, France: Biodiversity study of Morocco’s arid steppes focusing on identifying Cicadidae species.

– Collaboration with Institut Scientifique de Rabat, Morocco: Biodiversity study of Morocco’s arid steppes, focusing on plant identification and herbarium specimen exchanges.

– Collaboration with Institut Botànic de Barcelona, Spain: Biodiversity study of Morocco’s arid steppes, focusing on the genus Centaurea.

– Collaboration with Centro de Investigaciones Científicas y Tecnológicas de Extremadura, Spain: Systematic revision of Stipeae.

– Collaboration with Société Méditerranéenne d’Orchidologie, France: Creation of a distribution atlas of Orchidaceae in Morocco.

– Collaboration with Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de Genève, Switzerland: Framework agreement for the Flora of Morocco study.

– Collaboration with Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia: Systematic revision of Chenopodiaceae.

– Collaboration with Meise Botanic Garden, Belgium: Study on the phylogeny of Artemisia.

– Collaboration with the University of Santiago de Compostela, Spain: Biosystematic studies of Jasione.

– Collaboration with Société Botanique d’Occitanie, France: Species identification focusing on Astragalus and Vicia.

– Collaboration with Université de Béjaïa, Algeria: Biosystematics and phylogeography studies of the genus Silene.

– Collaboration with Université Mohammed V, Morocco: Typology study of Moroccan temporary ponds.

– Collaboration with the University of Sevilla, Spain: Systematic revision of Sonchus aggr. asper and Poaceae identification in the ECWP herbarium collection.

– Collaboration with Université de Montpellier – CIRAD, France: Systematic revision of Allium in the Mediterranean area.

– Collaboration with the University of Copenhagen, Denmark: Research on the evolutionary history of Alopecurus myosuroides.

– Collaboration with Conservatoire et Jardin Botaniques de Genève, Switzerland: Study on the systematics and phylogeny of Anethum.

– Collaboration with Lomonosov Moscow State University, Russia: Provision of Moroccan Atriplex images for scientific illustration.

– Collaboration with the Smithsonian Institution – SCBI, USA: Study on the ecology of several bustard species.

– Collaboration with the Cornell Lab of Ornithology, USA: Research on survival and population viability analyses of the Houbara Bustard.

– Collaboration with Pisa University, Italy: Study on population structure, movement, and migration of wild and captive-bred Eurasian Stone-curlews.

– Collaboration with Institut Méditerranéen de Biodiversité et d’Ecologie Marine et Continentale (IMBE), France: Systematic study of the genus Romulea in the Mediterranean area.

– Collaboration with the University of Florida, USA: Study on the phylogenomics of Mediterranean Campanulaceae.

– the Natural-Solutions company in the development of application tools for biological data management.