Conducted by the International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation (CIC) at ADIHEX 2025 in Abu Dhabi.
At ADIHEX 2025 in Abu Dhabi, the CIC met with Mark Upton, who was unanimously elected as President of the International Association for Falconry (IAF) in 2024 and began his term in January 2025. Upton shared his priorities for the IAF, reflected on conservation success stories, and spoke candidly about the challenges and opportunities facing falconry today.
Peregrine Falcon Recovery
Upton highlighted the recovery of the peregrine falcon as one of the greatest conservation successes of recent decades. He emphasised that falconers themselves played a central role at a time when many others were not engaged.
“The recovery of the peregrine falcon has become the shining example of successful species conservation. Everybody knew that there was a serious problem with the peregrine falcon. Bird protection NGOs in England at the time, such as the RSPB, weren’t very interested, and the government definitely not interested. Conservationists weren’t really engaged and the falconers had to do all the fighting in order to get the serious decline recognised and legislation put in place to prevent the use of DDT insecticides in agriculture that was responsible.”
He pointed out that it was falconers who pioneered captive breeding techniques in the 1970s.
“It was actually falconers who were responsible for getting the peregrine numbers back in the early days. Okay, we were then helped by conservation bodies but in the early days it was only falconers who were doing the work and it was falconers who started captive breeding in the 70s and that has supplied falconry ever since. We don’t need falcons from the wild, although we do believe they should be available through sustainable use to restock the breeding projects. And when peregrines are doing better than they have ever done in history, why should falconers not have the opportunity to fly a wild bird as an alternative to a captive-bred one?”
Challenges Facing Falconry
While falconry enjoys deep cultural roots, it continues to face criticism from animal rights groups. Upton acknowledged these pressures but placed greater emphasis on the ecological challenges of the future.
“There are always major animal rights bodies who just don’t accept that anybody should have an animal for anything really. You even hear things like we shouldn’t have dogs on leashes because it’s cruel. So keeping a hawk is also cruel in their eyes.”
More pressing, in his view, is the decline in quarry species worldwide.
“We can fight attacks from NGOs, and even governments that don’t approve of what we do, but how do we continue with falconry if there is no quarry to hunt?”
“Even talking to falconers here coming from all over the world, quarry is a big issue and we’ve got to do something about it. I was talking to an Arab falconer and conservationist here yesterday at a meeting, and he was saying to me that they’re now concentrating on putting finance into the zones where the houbara bustard lives. Because they’re realising it’s no point in just breeding houbara to release if the environment isn’t right to release them into for restocking.”
Women and Youth in Falconry
Upton also welcomed social changes within falconry. He sees greater participation by women and hopes for more youth engagement in Europe, where recruitment remains a challenge.
“We’re definitely getting more women, which I think is a great thing. Falconry is an art that lends itself to women practicing. There’s no difference between a man and a woman when it comes to flying falcons. There’s no need for any extra strength or anything that a man is better than a woman. And in fact I think women sometimes have more empathy with the falcons than the men do. They train them really well. So, yeah, that’s a good thing. We’re getting youths coming in, but we would like more.”
Cooperation Between IAF and CIC
When asked about the relationship between IAF and CIC, Upton was optimistic about opportunities for deeper cooperation.
“I think we overlap a great deal on some of our ambitions and I would hope that we can work together as sportsmen. Our hunting instinct is exactly the same.”
He also noted the complementary strengths of each organisation in international policy fora.
“I understand that CIC is an inter-governmental observer organisation with speaking rights at CITES, the CBD and CMS. And then I think there’s also occasions when we can do the same for you, because you know we have people in the IUCN and Bern Convention and ask questions.”
A Personal Journey in Falconry
Upton’s connection to falconry stretches back to his childhood and his father’s close ties to the Gulf.
“I came through my father. My father was a very famous falconer in England, and really one of three falconers in the late 1950s and early 1960s who were practising the pinnacle of the sport in the UK, which was grouse hawking. In the 1960s my father was asked by British Petroleum (BP) and the UK Foreign Office to take some Arab Sheikhs, sons of the then Abu Dhabi Ruler, Sheikh Shakbut, out hawking.”
“My father was then invited to Abu Dhabi where he met the late Sheikh Zayed, who was at that time not ruler but governor of Al Ain. They became very good friends. My father hawked with him regularly and I was lucky enough as a young man to be invited as well. I hawked with the Arabs. So, I have a good understanding of their hawking compared to most Westerners. This is why they were keen that I should become President of the IAF because I can not only speak for Europeans but I can speak for Arabs and hopefully other falconers around the world.”
Looking to the Future
Upton closed with a strong message about ensuring falconry’s continuity.
“Particularly in Europe, it’s just to keep fighting for the continuation of falconry, so the next generations can have the opportunity to do what we’ve all done.”
He also expressed his intention to strengthen IAF–CIC cooperation in the coming year.
“I saw that your General Assembly will take place in Vienna next April and I would love to come”
Media Contact:
Tristan Breijer MBA FRGS FRSA MCIJ
Director of Communications and Public Affairs
CIC – International Council for Game and Wildlife Conservation
Email: tristan.breijer@cic-wildlife.org
Mobile: +44 781 408 7423
Website: www.cic-wildlife.org
