{"id":39184,"date":"2024-07-01T05:57:43","date_gmt":"2024-07-01T00:27:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/?p=39184"},"modified":"2025-04-24T02:30:47","modified_gmt":"2025-04-23T21:00:47","slug":"gib","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/gib\/","title":{"rendered":"Comprehensive Guide to Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Lesser Florican Conservation"},"content":{"rendered":"<h2>What\u2019s in today\u2019s article?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Why in News?<\/li>\n<li>What is Great Indian Bustard (GIB)?<\/li>\n<li>What is Lesser Florican?<\/li>\n<li>Next phase of conservation plan for Great Indian Bustard<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>Why in News?<\/h2>\n<p>The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has approved Rs 56 crore for the next phase of the conservation of Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Lesser Florican.<\/p>\n<h2>What is Great Indian Bustard (GIB)?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>About<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>GIBs are the largest among the four-bustard species found in India.\n<ul>\n<li>The other three being <strong>MacQueen\u2019s bustard<\/strong>, <strong>lesser florican<\/strong> and the <strong>Bengal florican<\/strong>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>Being terrestrial birds, they spend most of their time on the ground with occasional flights to go from one part of their habitat to the other.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>They feed on insects, lizards, grass seeds etc. GIBs are considered the flagship bird species of grassland and hence barometers of the health of grassland ecosystems.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Habitat and Status<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>This bird, <strong>found mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat<\/strong>, has been categorized as <strong>critically endangered<\/strong> by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).\n<ul>\n<li>As per the 2021 report of the IUCN, they are on the verge of extinction with hardly 50 to 249 of them alive.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li>GIBs\u2019 historic range included much of the Indian sub-continent but it has now shrunken to just 10 per cent of it.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Among the heaviest birds with flight, GIBs prefer grasslands as their habitats.\u00a0<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Threats<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Scientists of Wildlife Institute of India (WII) have been pointing out overhead power transmission lines as the biggest threat to the GIBs.<\/li>\n<li>WII research has concluded that in Rajasthan, 18 GIBs die every year after colliding with overhead powerlines.<\/li>\n<li>These birds, due to their poor frontal vision, can\u2019t detect powerlines in time and their weight make in-flight quick manoeuvres difficult.<\/li>\n<li>Kutch and Thar desert are the places which have witnessed creation of huge renewable energy infrastructure over the past two decades.<\/li>\n<li>This led to installation of windmills and construction of power lines even in core GIB areas.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conservation measures<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>In 2015, the Central government launched the <strong>GIB species recovery programme<\/strong>.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Under the programme, the WII and Rajasthan Forest department have jointly set up <strong>conservation breeding centres<\/strong> where GIB eggs harvested from the wild are incubated artificially and hatchlings raised in controlled environment.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>The plan is to create a population which can act as insurance against the threat of extinction and release the third generation of these captive-bred birds into the wild.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bird diverters<\/strong> have also been installed on power lines to protect the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) from collisions.\n<ul>\n<li>The diverters act as reflectors that birds can see from about 50 meters away.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>When birds spot the diverters, they change their flight path to avoid colliding with the power lines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2>What is Lesser Florican?<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>About<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Lesser florican (<i><strong>Sypheotides indicus<\/strong><\/i>) is the smallest bird of the bustard family (Otididae).\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>It is endemic to India and is one of the four bustard species of India.<\/li>\n<li>Locally, the bird is known as Kharmor (grass peacock) in Gujarat and Khar titar (grass pheasant) in Rajasthan.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Habitat<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>Though it prefers open, grassy landscapes, the lesser florican is generally seen resting within thick bushes during the day.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>In non-breeding months, it can inhabit wooded lands and scrublands, along with grasslands.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>Being omnivorous, their diet ranges from small insects and critters to herbs and shoots.<\/li>\n<li>It inhabits the states of Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>IUCN Status<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The bird is currently listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<figure class=\"image image_resized\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiram-prod.s3.ap-south-1.amazonaws.com\/Lesser_Florican_590fb87ee9.webp\" alt=\"Lesser Florican\" \/><\/figure>\n<h2>Next phase of conservation plan for Great Indian Bustard<\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Overview<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Funding Approval<\/strong> &#8211; The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has allocated Rs 56 crore for the next phase of the conservation of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Lesser Florican.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Conservation Goals<\/strong> &#8211; The plan includes habitat development, in-situ conservation, completion of conservation breeding centers, and releasing captive-bred birds.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Proposal Recommendation<\/strong> &#8211; The National CAMPA executive committee recommended the Wildlife Institute of India\u2019s (WII) proposal for scaling up the project for 2024-2033.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Project Components<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>First Component<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Conservation Breeding Centers<\/strong>: Completion of the CBC in Jaisalmer\u2019s Ramdevra and development of the Sorsan Lesser Florican facility.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Captive-bred Birds<\/strong>: Preparatory work for releasing captive-bred birds and post-release monitoring.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Artificial Insemination<\/strong>: Development and implementation as a backup for captive breeding.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Second Component<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>In-situ Conservation<\/strong> &#8211; Efforts in other range states including Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Timeline and Activities<\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong>Population Estimation <\/strong>&#8211; Between 2024-2026, WII will estimate GIB populations in Jaisalmer and range states, and conduct rangewide population estimation of the Lesser Florican.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Egg Collection <\/strong>&#8211; Annually collect two to four GIB eggs and six to ten Lesser Florican eggs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Rewilding <\/strong>&#8211; Set to begin in 2027, identifying and developing release sites, and creating soft release enclosures.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Background<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>The conservation programme has been running since 2016 for long-term recovery of critically endangered GIB and Lesser Florican.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>As of now, around 140 GIBs and fewer than 1,000 Lesser Floricans are surviving in the wild.\n<ul>\n<li>Severe decline due to hunting, habitat loss, depredation of eggs, and overhead power lines.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Current Conservation Facilities<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>GIB Breeding Centers: Located in Rajasthan\u2019s Sam and Ramdevra with 40 GIBs.<\/li>\n<li>Lesser Florican Center: Located in Sorsan with seven individuals.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Legal Oversight<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Supreme Court Involvement \u2013\u00a0<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>The SC is also monitoring the GIB and Lesser Florican conservation programme.<\/li>\n<li>A petition seeking protection of the two species is pending before it..<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<li><strong>Power Line Issue \u2013\u00a0<\/strong>\n<ul>\n<li>SC initially ordered burying power lines in GIB habitats but recalled the order in 2024 due to practicality concerns.\u00a0<\/li>\n<li>An expert committee is studying the issue.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<hr \/>\n<h3>Q.1. What is Wildlife Institute of India\u2019s (WII)?<\/h3>\n<p>The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) is a premier autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, specializing in wildlife research, training, and conservation initiatives across India.<\/p>\n<h3>Q.2. What is Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)?<\/h3>\n<p>The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) is a statutory body in India that manages funds collected for compensatory afforestation, aimed at mitigating environmental impact from diversion of forest land for non-forest purposes through reforestation and conservation projects nationwide.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Source: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/indianexpress.com\/article\/india\/govt-approves-rs-56-crore-for-next-phase-of-conservation-plan-for-great-indian-bustard-9425072\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Govt approves Rs 56 crore for next phase of conservation plan for Great Indian Bustard<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/pib.gov.in\/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1911128\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">PIB<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/wildlifesos.org\/animals\/lesser-florican-the-enigmatic-bird-of-indian-grasslands\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">Wildlife SOS<\/a> | <a href=\"https:\/\/www.bnhs.org\/public\/pdf_documents\/Lesser-Florican-report.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow noopener\">BHNS<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Explore comprehensive insights into the conservation efforts for the critically endangered GIB and Lesser Florican in India.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":39185,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-39184","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-upsc-mains-current-affairs","8":"no-featured-image-padding"},"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39184","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39184"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39184\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39185"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39184"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39184"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/current-affairs\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39184"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}