Great Indian Bustard

 In News

 The Supreme Court swooped-in to intervene on behalf of the critically endangered Great Indian Bustards over the birds falling dead after colliding with power lines.

 A bench led by CJI will examine whether overhead power cables can be replaced with underground ones to save one of the   heaviest flying birds on the planet.

 Great Indian Bustard (GIB)

 The GIB is one of the heaviest flying birds endemic to the Indian subcontinent.

It is the State Bird of Rajasthan.

They are primarily terrestrial birds with

• Adult males as tall as 122 cm and weigh 11-15 kg
• Adult females reach up to 92 cm and weigh 4-7 kg.
• They are mega fauna and have the largest wingspan.
• Habitat: Untamed, Arid grasslands.
  • Maximum number of GIBs were found in Jaisalmer and the Indian Army-controlled field firing range near Pokhran, Rajasthan.
    • Other areas: Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.

Source: ResearchMatters

• As per a report by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), a statutory body under the Ministry of Environment, only 150 Great Indian Bustards are left in India.
  • They are on the brink of Extinction.
  • Out of these 150, around 90% are found in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• IUCN Status: Critically Endangered.
• Listed in Wildlife Protection Act’s Schedule 1.

Threats to the Bird

• Hunting: The bird was a popular game bird and still is in some pockets, despite being listed in Schedule I of India’s Wildlife Protection Act.
• Predators: Success rate of eggs has been reduced to 40-50% due to predators like fox and dogs.
• Intensification of agriculture: Although, GIB depends on agriculture as it is predominantly insect-eater, “relished” arugula plants, ate cultivated Bengal gram and Ziziphus or ber berries and was found near agricultural landscapes of Gujarat’s Kachchh during the non-breeding season.
  • But more pesticides, barbed-wire fences and new crops could endanger the birds’ survival in this landscape.
  • Also the habitat loss has been reported due to increased fields.
• Power lines: Particularly high voltage (33-440 KV) transmission lines with vertical alignment are the biggest threat to GIB as per WII report.
  • Their habitats have a high density of transmission lines because of the impetus on renewable energy production in GIB habitats of Rajasthan and Gujarat.
  • Bustards, with their poor frontal vision and heavy bodies, cannot manoeuvre away from cables in time.

Indian Initiatives for Protection of GIB

• Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of Great Indian Bustard-An Integrated Approach: The government has released ?33 crore for the conservation of the GIB through this project.
  • Its tenure is for five years
  • Fund has been devolved from the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA)
  • Technical support will be provided by WII.
• Directions of the National Green Tribunal (NGT): NGT ordered a time bound action plan for the implementation of mitigation measures such as installation of bird diverters and their regular maintenance and monitoring by power agencies.
• A Bustard conservation breeding centre in Rajasthan has been set up in Jaisalmer.
• Conservation Reserves: Great Indian Bustard habitats to be declared as conservation reserves.

Challenges/ Difficulties in Implementation

• Poor Financial Conditions of Discoms: There is huge indebtedness among Power Discoms which are being funded by schemes like UDAY.
• Job Loss: Some power companies objected to the court passing any sort of blanket ban which would affect over 50 lakh jobs.
• Costly Divetors: The High Voltage lines can not be made underground. And Diverters are very costly to install and maintain.
• Arid Region: These areas were arid areas which require electricity for sourcing water. So reducing wires is difficult.

Way Forward

• Install Firefly Flight Bird Diverters: Wherever there are high voltage power lines, they can use flight bird diverters even if the recurring costs are high.
  • Pilot projects in the Pokhran Area are already underway.
• Underground Cables wherever possible: Wherever there are overhead low voltage lines (power lines from 33 kilo volt to 440 kv), these lines can be placed underground.
• Inviolate Area: Government should declare Critical GIB habitat as an inviolate area to ensure no interference and encroachment.
• Do not allow new wind turbines at GIB areas.
• Fine: Imposition of exemplary cost on power line companies which fail to oblige can also help.

Source: TH