Report of the 2018 urgent restocking operation of the last Belgian breeding Black Grouse population in the Hautes Fagnes Nature Reserve, within the Natural Park Hautes Fagnes (High Fens).

The last breeding population of Black Grouse in Belgium can be found in the “Hautes Fagnes” Nature reserve, located at country’s highest altitudes, within the Natural Park of Hautes Fagnes, Liege Province, Walloon Region, East of Belgium. Thanks to the Swedish
Agency permit delivered on April 11th 2017, it has been saved in extremis through the release
of 10 wild birds from Sweden in spring 2017. A second set of releases took place between
April 26th and May 1st of this year (2018), thanks the permit delivered on 3rd April 2018,
where 18 wild birds were successfully introduced to reduce the immediate extinction risk and
reinforce the remaining wild population. This document constitutes the report of our 2018 translocation operation. The reinforcement of the Belgian Black Grouse population, promoted by the Behavioural Biology Unit of the University of Liège with the support of the Royal Belgian Institute of Natural Sciences (RBINS Conservation Biology Unit and Belgian Ringing Scheme BeBirds), has been approved and granted by the Public Service of the Walloon Region (SPWDGARNE 03) General Directorate 03 for Agriculture, Natural Resources and Environment.