The Great Bustard Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was concluded under the auspices of the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) and became effective on 1 June 2001. It covers the Middle-European populations of the Great Bustard and manages modern agriculture throughout its range in Central Europe in order to save the remaining individuals.

The European population of the Great Bustard is estimated to be between 35,600 and 38,500 individuals but there has been a rapid decline in much of Central and Eastern Europe. Without active protection measures, the species is doomed to disappear.

The remaining population is dispersed in several small populations. Its habitat is intensively used agricultural land and mixed extensive agricultural and pasture/fallow land. Conservation measures need to focus on active habitat management and on maintaining large areas of non-intensive farming systems.

The MoU area includes Albania, Austria, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Moldova, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, The Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia and Ukraine. The First Meeting of the Signatories (Illmitz, 2004) endorsed inviting Italy, Montenegro, the Russian Federation and Serbia to join the MoU.