Egypt is cooperating with the United Arab Emirates to preserve and protect the threatened Houbara bustard bird species in the North African country.

On June 18, the Egyptian Ministry of Environment witnessed the release of Houbara bustards in al-Ameed Nature Reserve in Marsa Matrouh governorate in the northwest of the country, as part of a project to resettle the bird in Egypt in cooperation with the UAE’s International Fund for Houbara Conservation.

Egyptian Minister of Environment Yasmine Fouad, Emirati Minister of State for Defense Affairs and deputy chairman of the board of directors of the International Fund for Houbara Conservation Mohammed bin Ahmed al-Bowardi attended the release and resettlement of 2,000 Houbara bustards in Marsa Matrouh, as part of efforts to prevent the birds' extinction.

Fouad said in a June 18 statement that the release of the Houbara bustards constitutes “a milestone in the Egyptian-UAE cooperation in the protection of biodiversity.” She explained that “the Houbara bustard is present in North African countries, including Egypt.”