Great Indian Bustard: Gujarat Targets 30-Bird Viable Population, 500 Sq Km Habitat

Bhuj: Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday reviewed key conservation programmes in Kachchh, including efforts to protect the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB), restore grasslands and expand Project Cheetah.

Accompanied by Gujarat Cabinet Minister for Forest and Environment, Climate Change and Science & Technology Arjun Modhwadia, Yadav also visited the GIB habitat at Naliya to review conservation measures.

During the review meeting in Bhuj, Yadav released the Gujarat Action Plan for GIB Conservation, prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) with the Gujarat Forest Department. The plan aims to establish a minimum viable population of over 30 GIBs in Gujarat and secure 200–500 sq km of safe, contiguous habitat.

The immediate focus is the nearly 200 sq km Lala-Rawa landscape in Kachchh, with measures including habitat restoration, grazing management, removal of invasive species, predator control and mitigation of infrastructure threats.

Around 11 sq km of grassland affected by Prosopis juliflora has already been restored at Naliya, while 30 km of predator-proof fencing has been installed around a 15 sq km enclosure.

Yadav also highlighted a “jump-start” conservation intervention in which infertile eggs laid by wild GIBs were replaced with viable eggs from the conservation breeding programme. The chick from the second such attempt has survived beyond three months in the wild, marking a significant milestone for GIB recovery.

At Naliya, Yadav inaugurated the GIB Soft Release Centre, developed to house and acclimatise captive-bred birds from Rajasthan before their eventual release into the wild, subject to suitable habitat and established protocols.

He also flagged off 33 new patrolling and rescue vehicles for the Kachchh Forest Circle to strengthen wildlife protection, monitoring and quick-response operations.

Yadav said GIB conservation should extend beyond a single species to restoring Kachchh’s wider open natural ecosystems, which support species including the lesser florican, chinkara, desert cats, raptors and vultures.

On grasslands, he said they cover nearly 24% of India but remain among the country’s most degraded ecosystems. A proposed five-year national assessment, with WII, ICFRE and FSI and National CAMPA support, will help develop a scientific framework for mapping, assessing and restoring Open Natural Ecosystems, including Gujarat’s Banni Grassland.

Reviewing Project Cheetah, Yadav said India’s cheetah population has increased from 29 founder animals to 52, including 49 cubs born in India. Protected cheetah habitat has expanded to 3,428 sq km through the integrated management of Kuno National Park and Gandhi Sagar. Banni Grasslands in Gujarat and Nauradehi Wildlife Sanctuary in Madhya Pradesh have been identified as potential future release sites.

Yadav later visited the Hariyalu Gram plantation at Sayara and inaugurated the Sayara Van Kavach initiative. Spread across 9.46 sq km, the Miyawaki plantation has more than 10,000 saplings of 47 native species suited to Kachchh’s saline and low-water conditions.

At Jakhau, he visited a mangrove nursery and joined a plantation drive with BSF personnel and local residents. He also reviewed mangrove conservation in Kori Creek and Sir Creek, visited a seaweed seed bank and interacted with seaweed cultivators and beneficiaries of the MISHTI programme. DeshGujarat