Two Great Indian Bustards Released as Conservation Count Reaches 97

UPDATE - follow-up to Bird islands: On India's bustard conservation programme: Two male Great Indian Bustards were released into the wild at Desert National Park in Jaisalmer this week. Union Minister and Rajasthan Environment Minister attended the ceremony. The current bustard programme now counts 97 birds, with nine more ready for release. Of the total, 57 are captive‑bred; they produced 29 chicks this year and 24 last year. The species overall numbers about 120 individuals, up from a low of 140‑175 in Rajasthan in the 2010s after a historic decline from 1,260 in 1969 to 600 by 2000. Hunting by locals, including royalty, continued into the late 1970s and contributed to the fall. Expansion of irrigation turned natural grasslands into pesticide‑laden fields and roads, increasing vulnerability. High‑tension power lines now pose a fresh danger because bustards fly at the same height and have poor vision. In 2021 the Supreme Court ordered low‑voltage lines in priority habitats to be placed underground; after industry push‑back the order was narrowed to lines within the bird’s critical habitat. Cultural ties to the ‘Godawan’ are being used in marketing, but many other Indian birds are also at risk, with 1,256 species – about 11.5% of the world’s birds – listed as threatened. Skylark numbers fell nearly 80% and Indian rollers 30% over the past 12 years. Experts argue that protecting whole landscapes, rather than isolated reserves, is needed for lasting recovery.

Context

The bustard’s plight highlights how habitat loss, infrastructure and symbolic policies together threaten India’s wildlife, urging a shift to landscape‑level conservation.