Wings of Change: Climate-action Partnership announced to research solutions for Polar Raptors in a Warming World

Scientists from Boise and Abu Dhabi collaborate to focus on species decline.

Abu Dhabi, UAE and Boise, ID, USA (10 May 2024)—The Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund and The Peregrine Fund have partnered to monitor the responses of raptors to climate change. Scientists are increasingly concerned about the impact warmer temperatures are having on polar raptors.
This long-standing partnership between Boise and Abu Dhabi began in 1976 when Dr. Tom Cade met with the late Sheikh Zayed during a World Falconry Conference where they developed a close friendship that was sustained for decades. In 2005, Abu Dhabi supported the establishment of the Sheikh Zayed Heritage Wing at The Archives of Falconry in Boise, providing visitors with a unique insight into the heritage of traditional Arabian falconry deeply entwined with the principles of raptor conservation. The Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund entirely refurbished this wing in Boise in 2022, including technological advancements not available in the mid-2000s. It is one of Boise’s most popular attractions. In 2010, Abu Dhabi and The Peregrine Fund also partnered to hold a successful Gyrfalcon conference, including funding to support the Tundra Conservation Network.

This new initiative deepens engagement and commitment to The Peregrine Fund’s Climate Change Program. The partnership reflects a long-term strategic commitment to assess the impacts of climate change on raptor habitats and populations.

The funding for this project is presented by the newly established Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund and comes with three years of support for the work. This also aligns with the UAE’s climate action commitments made during the recently concluded Climate Summit - COP28 in Dubai hosted by the United Arab Emirates

The project focuses on identifying climate-adapted habitats, prioritizing conservation actions, and unraveling Gyrfalcon and other polar raptor population dynamics. As the world grapples with the urgent need to assuage biodiversity loss, the Boise-Abu Dhabi alliance stands as a beacon of hope, showcasing the power of collaboration and shared commitment to protect our planet's most magnificent birds of prey.

H.E. Mr Abdulla Al Qubaisi, Managing Director of the Mohamed bin Zayed Raptor Conservation Fund Board of Directors, expressed enthusiasm about the collaboration, stating, "Our commitment to safeguard threatened raptors and their habitats is steadfast. We are delighted to build on our fifty years of friendship and partner with The Peregrine Fund, who have demonstrated their unmatched ability to bring back raptor species from the brink of extinction."

Managing Director Al Qubaisi’s sentiments were echoed by Chris N. Parish, President and CEO of The Peregrine Fund, “We are thrilled to have this opportunity to expand our decades-long friendship into this partnership. In the coming three years we will share the assessments of effects of climate change for the six Patagonian endemic species and the three Arctic endemic species, thereby providing the first survival estimates for the North American Gyrfalcon. This groundbreaking work speaks to the power of collaboration and a strong global alliance for the conservation of birds of prey and their habitats.”