Great Indian Bustard to be reintroduced in Madhya Pradesh with help from Rajasthan
Conservation authorities plan to reintroduce the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) into Madhya Pradesh, with support from Rajasthan, which runs the country's main GIB conservation-breeding programme. According to the source, because the Gwalior region of Madhya Pradesh was historically the bird's natural habitat, reintroduction efforts are being focused there, targeting areas within the Gwalior Son Chiraiya Sanctuary where the species was last known to inhabit. The Great Indian Bustard, a large grassland bird, has seen its wild population collapse to fewer than around 150 birds, largely confined to the Desert National Park area of Rajasthan, making captive breeding and trans-state reintroduction critical to its survival. The plan builds on recent breakthroughs, including a 'jumpstart' technique in which a captive-bred fertile egg was transported by road from Rajasthan and successfully hatched under a wild foster mother in Gujarat.
Key Facts & Details
8 points- 1The critically endangered Great Indian Bustard is to be reintroduced in Madhya Pradesh with Rajasthan's help.
- 2Efforts focus on the Gwalior region, the bird's historical habitat, including the Gwalior Son Chiraiya Sanctuary.
- 3Rajasthan runs India's main GIB conservation-breeding programme.
- 4The wild GIB population has fallen to fewer than around 150 birds, mostly in Rajasthan.
- 5The plan follows a 'jumpstart' success where a Rajasthan egg was hatched under a foster bird in Gujarat.
Deep Dive
- +The Great Indian Bustard is one of the heaviest flying birds and a grassland-dependent species.
- +Collisions with power transmission lines are a leading cause of GIB deaths.
- +Trans-state reintroduction aims to spread the population beyond a single vulnerable location.
Exam Focus
The Great Indian Bustard, proposed for reintroduction in Madhya Pradesh, is associated with which conservation programme state?
Related Topics
Exam Relevance & Angle
Critically endangered species and their conservation programmes are a staple environment topic across exams, and the Great Indian Bustard, with its IUCN status, habitat and the GIB project, is a frequently asked subject in current affairs and General Awareness.
Target Exams
Background & Context
The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), locally called Godawan, is one of the heaviest flying birds in the world and a flagship species of India's dry grasslands and scrublands, which once ranged across much of the country but is now classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List, with a wild population reduced to roughly 150 birds concentrated in and around the Desert National Park in Rajasthan. Its decline has been driven by habitat loss, hunting and, most acutely, collisions with overhead power transmission lines crossing its grassland habitat, an issue that has reached the Supreme Court. To prevent extinction, the government and the Wildlife Institute of India run a conservation-breeding programme in Rajasthan, and recent innovations such as the 'jumpstart' approach, swapping a captive-bred fertile egg into a wild nest, have produced new chicks. Reintroducing the bird to historical habitats like Madhya Pradesh's Gwalior region aims to reduce the risk of losing the entire population at a single site.
Related GK Concepts
Must KnowTest Yourself
1 / 2The Great Indian Bustard's surviving wild population is concentrated mainly in which state?
Source
This topic is important for:
