This expert mission was performed between 13-15 June 2017 in our Ministry with the participation of a Spanish expert, Prof. Juan Carlos Alonso, specialized on great bustards, a Portuguese expert on birds, José Tavares and Dicle Tuba Kılıç, an expert from Doğa Derneği. The other participants were from Managing Authority and ARDSI.
The aim of this expert mission was to enhance the knowledge on the implementation of the conservation measures for the protection and management of the great bustard population in Turkey. Turkey is currently undertaking great effort in enlarging the habitat of great bustards; this expert mission provided an excellent opportunity to revise the sub-measure fiche in the IPARD Programme.

Participants were informed by the presentations related to the subjects below and a field trip was organized to Polatlı, the pilot for the sub-measure:
• Rural development programmes in Spain: an overview with a focus on agri-environmental measures,
• Status of great bustards in Turkey - through the eyes of related NGOs,
• Conservation of great bustards in Spain,
• Recent trends of the world population and current status,
• Agri-environmental measures to protect Great Bustards.

The last day of the mission the revision studies for the sub-measure fiche were done by the group. The overall mission was successful in terms of evaluating the subjects above and the fiche.