Survival and Habitat Challenges in Rewilding the Great Indian Bustard

18 Oct 2026

Tags: Environment   Conservation   Protection frameworks

Source: The Indian Express

Context: On October 4, 2026, two captive-bred male Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) were released into the wild for the first time in Rajasthan’s Desert National Park near Jaisalmer, marking a pilot step towards rewilding the critically endangered species.

• The initiative is part of Project GIB, implemented by the Centre, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and the governments of Rajasthan and Gujarat.

Why Has the Great Indian Bustard Population Declined?

• Historical decline: The population fell from an estimated 1,260–1,400 in the early 1970s to around 150, of which approximately 130 (±20) survive in Rajasthan; the remaining birds are in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
• Major threats: Hunting, poaching of eggs, gradual conversion of open grasslands into croplands and mining areas, and collisions with renewable-energy power lines.
• Biological vulnerability: The GIB’s poor frontal vision and heavy body make it difficult to detect and avoid overhead power infrastructure.

Project GIB: Conservation and Captive Breeding

• Project development: A long-term GIB and lesser florican project was launched by the Centre and Rajasthan in 2012–13 and expanded in 2014 with support for conservation and breeding.
• Captive breeding: Since 2019, wild eggs have been collected from Desert National Park and surrounding areas, incubated artificially at centres in Sam and Ramdevra, Rajasthan, and the chicks hand-reared.
• Progress: The programme produced 98 birds; two were released into the wild on October 4, 2026, and 11 more were earmarked for future release, while the others remain in captive-reproduction centres.

What Does Rewilding Entail?

• Preparatory infrastructure: A rewilding aviary was established at the Ramdevra centre, alongside a soft-release facility developed by WII.
• Soft release: Captive-bred birds are gradually introduced to natural habitats with limited human intervention, allowing them to adapt to wild conditions and reducing the risk of human imprinting.
• Post-release monitoring: The released birds have been fitted with transmitters that send alerts three times daily about their location and movement patterns, enabling teams to monitor them remotely.

Challenges in Long-Term Recovery

• Survival in the wild: Released birds must adapt to natural conditions, find food and avoid threats after being raised in captivity.
• Need for replication: Similar rewilding experiments may be needed in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh, after habitat improvements.
• Grassland protection: Restoration and protection of grasslands are essential for the recovery of GIB populations beyond Rajasthan.
• Habitat degradation: Unlike forests, grasslands, deserts and savannahs are often not perceived as important conservation areas, leaving them vulnerable to degradation and afforestation projects that replace native open habitats with trees.

Supreme Court Directions for GIB Protection

• Protected areas: In a landmark case concerning GIB conservation, the Supreme Court accepted recommendations of an expert panel and ordered broad protection measures for GIB habitats in Rajasthan and Gujarat.
• Underground power lines: It directed that 80 km of power lines in Rajasthan be buried underground.
• Power-line corridors: It ordered the creation of corridors for power lines that would accommodate re-routed overhead infrastructure.
• Implementation concerns: Experts cautioned that rewilding may not be sustainable unless these power lines are buried soon; limestone mining also threatens the open and flat habitats needed by GIBs, while the Court did not prescribe specific mining-related measures.

Relevant Concepts for UPSC

• Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps): A large, predominantly ground-dwelling bird endemic to the Indian subcontinent, associated with arid and semi-arid grasslands and open landscapes. It is classified as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
• Wildlife Institute of India (WII): An autonomous institution under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), engaged in wildlife research, training and conservation.
• Rewilding: The process of restoring species to natural habitats and enabling them to survive with minimal human intervention, supported where necessary by habitat restoration and post-release monitoring.
• Grassland conservation: Native grasslands are distinct ecosystems that support specialised biodiversity and should not automatically be treated as degraded forests or wastelands.