Why in news?
The Union Minister of Environment, Forest and Climate Change announced that two new chicks of the Great Indian Bustard have hatched at the Conservation Breeding Centre in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. This marks a milestone in the fourth year of Project Great Indian Bustard.
Background
The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is a large ground‑dwelling bird endemic to the Indian subcontinent. Once abundant across the semi‑arid grasslands of western and central India, its numbers have declined sharply because of habitat loss, hunting and power‑line collisions. The species is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, included in Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) and protected under Schedule I of India’s Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Project Great Indian Bustard
- Launched in 2020, the project is a collaborative effort of the Wildlife Institute of India, the Rajasthan Forest Department and the Union Environment Ministry to breed bustards in captivity and release them into secure habitats.
- The breeding centre near Sam in Jaisalmer houses adult birds collected from the wild. Eggs are incubated and chicks are hand‑raised by trained staff to minimise predation and other threats.
- With the hatching of two new chicks – one from natural mating and the other through artificial insemination – the captive population has risen to about seventy individuals. Plans are underway to release some of the older birds into designated safe zones.
Significance
- The success of the breeding programme offers hope for a species on the brink of extinction. Captive‑reared birds can help bolster the tiny wild population surviving mainly in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert.
- The project also highlights the need to protect and restore natural grasslands, remove or mark power lines and involve local communities in conservation.
- Continued research into bustard ecology, genetic diversity and reintroduction techniques will determine the long‑term viability of the species.
Conclusion
Project Great Indian Bustard’s latest success is an encouraging step towards saving one of India’s most iconic birds. Sustained conservation measures both in captivity and in the wild are essential to ensure that future generations can witness the bustard striding across open grasslands.
Source: Press Information Bureau
