In 1973, eggs were first collected from great bustard nests exposed by agricultural work. Had the eggs been left there, they would have been lost. The eggs were artificially hatched and the chicks were released into the wild after successful raising. These were the beginnings of a rearing program that has been instrumental in the rise of the bustard population and is still successfully run by the Förderverein Großtrappenschutz e.V. today. Survival rates of hand-reared and released young bustards to the next spring have been between 60 and 70 percent since 2011.

The eggs taken are all from endangered clutches. These were either exposed by agricultural work or were very early nests with little protection from predators from the grass. Bustard hens react to this by producing a subsequent clutch, which is exposed to significantly less risk from predators. After the chicks hatch at the rearing station, they are cared for at the bird sanctuary until at least eight weeks of age. At the latest at the age of ten weeks, the young bustards are transferred to the release enclosure where they are cared for a further three months.

In the Havelländisches Luch, the bustard population is already able to survive on its own thanks to successful habitat enhancement and predator management. However, in the Fiener Bruch and the Belzig landscape meadows, not enough bustard chicks fledge naturally. Therefore, hand-rearing with subsequent release into the wild is currently still an indispensable measure in bustard conservation.

Further measures for the protection of the great bustards are aimed at the ecological upgrading of the breeding areas through extensification of agriculture. After all, it would make little sense to release the laboriously reared young birds into unsuitable habitats. Ultimately, only large-scale habitat restoration can guarantee the survival of the great bustards.

Negotiations with regional farmers were conducted in order to start a nature-compatible and bustard-friendly land management in the bustard area. The farmers receive compensation payments for the creation of fodder strips, the leaving of old grass strips, the renunciation of fertilizers and pesticides as well as a renunciation of use on partial areas. In addition, management dates for the meadows are coordinated in the interest of great bustard protection.

Farmers are also doing their part to protect the bustards: last winter, for example, snow was removed from farmland so that the bustards could feed. If no action had been taken here, the bustards might have migrated to get food. A dangerous undertaking for the animals, often without a happy ending.

The increase in the population of predators, especially foxes, was enormous. Hunting with traps and guns alone no longer helped. Therefore, predator-proof fenced areas were established in all three habitat areas. Inside the fenced enclosures, breeding success has been very successful with 2.2 young per brood. Outside the fencing, however, no or hardly any chicks have fledged so far.

Besides loss to predators, overhead power lines are the most common cause of bustard mortality. Therefore, the undergrounding of medium-voltage power lines and the marking of high-voltage lines made another significant contribution to great bustard conservation.