The Centre on Friday told Parliament that it has no report indicating that the number of Great Indian Bustards (GIB) is reducing rapidly in the country. Responding to a query on the population of GIB and if their number has been reducing, Minister of State for Environment Ashwini Choubey said, “There are no reports in the ministry indicating that the number of Great Indian Bustards is reducing rapidly in recent times.” The GIB has already been included as an endangered migratory species in the global list for international protection under UN’s Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species.
With only 150 of these birds left in the country, an earlier report by the ministry of environment had said “the GIB is critically endangered bird and is nearing extinction.” A report by the ministry of environment in 2019 had said GIB is in an urgent need of conservation as it is nearing extinction due to collisions with power lines that crisscross their flying path. According to the report, only 150 GIBs are left in the country, with maximum number in Jaisalmer, and they are dying at a rate of 15 per cent due to collision with high voltage power lines. It had also said the GIB population has reduced by 75 per cent in the last 30 years.
The minister told the Lower House that the environment Ministry has taken up an initiative on conservation breeding of the GIB in collaboration with Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra forest departments and technical support from Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. “The Ministry with financial support from National Authority for Compensatory Afforestation Funds has sanctioned an outlay of Rs 33.85 crores for the duration of five years for the program titled ‘Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great Indian Bustard-an integrated approach’.
“The objective of this program is to build up captive population of GIB and to release the chicks in the wild for increasing the population and also to promote in-situ conservation of the species,” he said in his written response. He added that a site for establishment of a Conservation Breeding Centre for the GIB has been identified at Kota District, Rajasthan in consultations with State Forest Departments of Rajasthan and Gujarat, Wildlife Institute of India and international experts, under the project.
The ministry has also constituted a Task Force for suggesting eco-friendly measures to mitigate impacts of power transmission lines and other power transmission infrastructures on wildlife including the Great Indian Bustard. “Currently, a satellite conservation breeding facility with incubator, hatcher, chick rearing and housing for captive birds has been set up at Sam, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan and is managed by WII Scientists, Rajasthan Forest Department with the technical assistance of the International Fund for Houbara Conservation and Reneco, Abu Dhabi. “A total of sixteen (16) GIB chicks, (artificially hatched from eggs collected from wild) are being reared presently in the satellite conservation breeding facility at Sam, Jaisalmer Rajasthan,” he said.
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