The government has just woken up to mount an action plan akin to Project Tiger to save the Great Indian Bustard that is found only in India and in a very small number in Pakistan, after experts warned that they will be extinct in another three generations.
The ostrich-like one-meter tall and upto 1.5 meter long heaviest of the flying birds at 8-15 kg was once quite common in the dry plains but their number has dwindled to less than 300. Experts warn that children will have to look at only their pictures like dinosaurs as they are not able to breed because of man-made encroachments on their habitats and breeding grounds.
The environment and forest ministry early this week came out with a multi-pronged programme to save this heritage bird of India from extinction, which is today found only in Rajasthan that has the highest about 100, Andhra Pradesh (35-40) Gujarat (30), Maharashtra (20-25), Karnataka (20) and Madhya Pradesh (less than 5) of these birds.
The 29-page document envisages how to prevent poaching of the Great Indian Bustard, which is a state bird in Rajasthan, conserving the existing small populations and excluding their breeding areas from all kind of disturbances.
It calls for immediate restriction on infrastructural development and land-use diversion by clamping ban on roads, high tension electric poles, intensive agriculture, constructions and wind power generators.
Since Great Indian Bustard is known to nest in specific spots over the years, the plan also envisages that these high priority spots and relevant surroundings within the breeding areas be freed of carnivores like domestic dogs, fox and jackals that are believed to be contributing to the breeding failure.
The government wants to take NGOs and local communities on board, along with the forest department, to put under check illegal activities like killing of the bustards and monitoring of the population at local levels all over the country on the lines of the tiger monitoring exercise.
