Participants of the business programme of the Falcon Day International Forum, which will be held on 10 September in Vladivostok on the opening day of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum, will discuss effective methods of restoring the populations of rare bird species, the functioning of their breeding centres, as well as the use of birds of prey for practical purposes. Participants of the Falcon Day — representatives of Russia, China, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Mongolia, and the UAE — will sign a declaration of intent on the conservation of the gyrfalcon population. EEF is organized by the Roscongress Foundation.

«The environmental agenda is traditionally one of the key elements of the Eastern Economic Forum programme. Representatives of relevant international organizations, leading experts from Russian companies and agencies, heads of regional authorities, and leading ornithologists have been invited to Vladivostok to identify specific mechanisms to protect and increase populations of rare birds and birds of prey. The broad composition of the Forum’s participating states and signatories of the declaration confirms the importance of the topic of population development for birds of prey and the relevance of the measures we are taking in this area,» said Anton Kobyakov, Adviser to the President of the Russian Federation and Executive Secretary of the EEF Organizing Committee. 

The business programme of the Falcon Day International Forum will include four discussions. The key event will be the plenary session ‘Conservation and Harmonious Use of Birds of Prey in Different Countries of the World’. Its participants will define a set of measures necessary for the conservation of these birds and specify the tasks of nurseries as part of breeding rare species of falcons. The following speakers will join the plenary session: Sergey Anoprienko, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation; Badmaanyambuugiin Bat-Erdene, Minister of Environment and Tourism of Mongolia; Sergei Ivanov, Special Representative of the President of the Russian Federation on Environmental Protection, Ecology and Transport; Kubat Kaseinov, Deputy Minister of Natural Resources, Ecology and Technical Supervision of the Kyrgyz Republic; Vladimir Solodov, Governor of Kamchatka Territory; and Nurken Sharbiev, First Vice Minister of Ecology and Natural Resources of the Republic of Kazakhstan. H.E. Majed Al Mansouri, President, International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey, will address participants and guests of the plenary session with welcoming remarks. 

During the sessions, experts will also discuss the history of falconry in Russia and other countries, consider the legal basis for the conservation and restoration of birds of prey in different countries, and the use of modern technologies to prevent population decline. The following experts are expected to participate: Askhat Akibaev, Director, Cultural and Integration Center of the SCO countries and the Silk Road; Mohammed Saleh Hassan Al Baidani, Director General, International Fund for Houbara Conservation (IFHC); Mubarak Swilim Al-Swilim, Founder, Chief Executive Officer, Sixty Minutes Consultation (SMC); Otgonsaikhan Dorjsuren, Vice President for Asia, International Association for Falconry and Conservation of Birds of Prey (IAF) (Mongolia); Daniil Putyatin, Director, All-Russian Research Institute for Environmental Protection; and Shukhrat Razakov, General Director, Kamchatka Falconry Center. 

In addition, as part of the Falcon Day, the first falcon auction will take place. It will be held by Russian Auction House jointly with the Kamchatka Falconry Center and the Roscongress Foundation with the support of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Ecology of the Russian Federation. Over 30 gyrfalcons, saker falcons, peregrine falcons, which were bred in the largest nurseries of Russia, will become auction lots. A significant part of the auction proceeds will be used to support the population recovery programme. 

Guests of the 8th Eastern Economic Forum will also have the opportunity to see live trained birds of prey in the Falcon House at the ‘Far East Street’ exhibition. Visitors will learn more about the peculiarities of birds of prey of the falcon family, the threat of extinction of the gyrfalcon population, support measures and the history of falconry. The Falcon House is organized by the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment of the Russian Federation, Government of Kamchatka Territory, Roscongress Foundation and Kamchatka Falconry Center.

A display of traditional Bedouin tents — an Arabian village — was erected as part of the ‘Far East Street’ exhibition near the Falcon by the Roscongress Foundation and with its Arab partners. The guests of this exhibition will be offered to taste real Arab coffee and sweets made according to old recipes, to plunge into the hospitality of the Middle East residents.

Official Partner of the Forum is Norilsk Nickel. Partners are OKEANRYBFLOT, Tymlatsky Rybokombinat, Republic of Kalmykia, Archipelag Onekotan Development Company, Highland Gold Group, Ustkamchatryba, and Vostok-Fish. Organization partner is Russian Railways. 

The Falcon Day International Forum is designed to become an international expert platform for comprehensive dialogue and attracting the attention of government officials, experts and the scientific community to the issues of conservation, protection and increase in the population of birds of prey and rare species of birds, including birds of the falcon family. Since 2023, the Forum has been held annually in Russia. 

Official Forum website: falconday.ru.