JAISALMER, October 4 — In a landmark triumph for endangered wildlife conservation in India, the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Conservation Breeding Centre at Desert National Park in Jaisalmer, operated jointly by the Union Environment Ministry and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), has successfully fledged captive-bred chicks utilizing artificial incubation and scientific husbandry protocols.
The breakthrough is critically significant as the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), affectionately known as 'Godawan', remains categorized as 'Critically Endangered' on the IUCN Red List. Fewer than 150 individuals survive in the wild globally, with over 90% of the remnant population concentrated in the fragile grassland ecosystems of the Thar desert in Rajasthan.
Wildlife biologists highlighted that habitat remediation alongside the installation of Supreme Court-mandated bird flight diverters on high-voltage power lines has curtailed collision fatalities. Under the Centrally Sponsored Scheme of Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH), the captive breeding program aims to gradually build a secure insurance population for soft reintroduction into safeguarded wilderness zones.
Endangered species conservation, protected area networks, and wildlife jurisprudence are perennial staples of UPSC Prelims and Mains (GS Paper III). Candidates must note that the Great Indian Bustard is the official State Bird of Rajasthan and enjoys the highest degree of legal protection under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Appendix I of CITES.