🗞️ Why in News A Great Indian Bustard (GIB) chick was successfully hatched in Gujarat’s Kutch region on March 26, 2026, using an inter-state egg transfer from a Rajasthan captive breeding centre — the first successful GIB hatching in nearly a decade — demonstrating a new conservation technique called the “jumpstart approach” that could rescue the species from near-certain extinction.
The Hatching — What Happened
Operation Details
| Parameter | Detail |
|---|---|
| Technique | Inter-state egg transfer (“Jumpstart Approach”) |
| Egg origin | Rajasthan captive breeding centre |
| Hatch location | Kutch region, Gujarat |
| Distance covered | 770 km in ~19 hours |
| Transfer method | Temperature-controlled egg incubation (37.5°C) |
| Hatch date | March 26, 2026 |
| Significance | First successful GIB hatch in nearly a decade |
Why Gujarat?
Gujarat’s GIB population had reached a critical tipping point:
- Only 3 female GIBs in Gujarat — with no males
- No natural reproduction possible in Gujarat
- The Kutch landscape is historically prime GIB habitat (arid grasslands)
The “jumpstart approach” addresses what conservation biologists call demographic Allee effects — when populations are so small that normal reproduction becomes impossible even when suitable habitat exists.
Great Indian Bustard — Species Profile
Classification and Status
| Attribute | Detail |
|---|---|
| Scientific name | Ardeotis nigriceps |
| IUCN Red List status | Critically Endangered |
| Global population | Fewer than 150 individuals |
| Primary range | Rajasthan, Gujarat (India) |
| CITES listing | Appendix I (most protected) |
| Wildlife (Protection) Act | Schedule I |
| National status | State bird of Rajasthan |
Why the GIB is Critically Endangered
The GIB was once found across 11 Indian states. Three factors have driven its near-extinction:
- Overhead power lines: GIBs have a forward-facing narrow field of vision — they cannot detect power lines in time during flight. Collisions are the single largest cause of adult mortality (estimated 18 birds/year in Rajasthan alone).
- Habitat loss: Arid grasslands converted to agriculture, renewable energy projects, and human settlements.
- Hunting history: Historically hunted for meat and sport; protected since the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
The Power Line Problem — Supreme Court’s Role
In 2021, the Supreme Court ordered the underground cabling of power lines in core GIB habitat areas in Rajasthan. However, the Ministry of New and Renewable Energy raised concerns that underground cabling could jeopardise India’s solar energy targets in the Thar Desert — one of the world’s best solar zones. The Court issued revised guidelines balancing both concerns — a rare example of climate-vs-biodiversity trade-off adjudication.
Project GIB and Captive Breeding
History of the Programme
- Project GIB launched: 2016
- Lead institutions: Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun + State Forest Departments (Rajasthan and Gujarat) + MoEFCC
- Captive breeding centres: Sam (Jaisalmer) and Ramdevra (Jaisalmer district), Rajasthan
- Current captive population (Rajasthan): ~73 birds
- Breeding technique: Artificial insemination + incubation (GIBs rarely breed in captivity through natural mating)
International Support
The Abu Dhabi breeding programme (UAE) has been a key partner — sharing aviculture expertise from Houbara bustard conservation, a related species that has been successfully bred in captivity at scale in the Gulf.
CMS COP15 and GIB — International Protection
The 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS) — held in Brazil in March 2026 — added the Great Indian Bustard to Appendix I of CMS (highest protection level). This obligates CMS member states to protect GIB habitat and prohibit hunting.
CMS at a Glance
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Full name | Convention on Migratory Species (CMS / Bonn Convention) |
| Established | 1979, Bonn, Germany |
| Administered by | UNEP |
| India hosted | CMS COP13, Gandhinagar, 2020 |
| Appendix I species | Strictly protected; hunting prohibited |
| Appendix II species | Requires cooperative agreements |
| COP15 outcome | 40 new species added to protected lists |
| Species at high risk | 188 total (103 birds, 26 fish, 28 terrestrial mammals, 23 aquatic mammals) |
Other Species Added at CMS COP15
- Cheetah (reintroduced in India via Project Cheetah)
- Striped hyena
- Snowy owl
- Giant otter
- Great hammerhead shark
India’s Grassland Ecosystem — Broader Context
The GIB’s fate is emblematic of India’s grassland ecosystem crisis. Grasslands — unlike forests — receive limited policy protection in India:
- Not counted as forest cover in FSI surveys
- Not covered under Forest Conservation Act (only recently amended)
- Treated as wasteland for land acquisition purposes
The Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 strengthened protections for both captive and wild species, but grassland-specific protections remain weak. Conservation biologists have called for a National Grassland Policy — analogous to the National Forest Policy — to address this structural gap.
UPSC Relevance
Prelims: GIB scientific name (Ardeotis nigriceps); IUCN status (Critically Endangered); Rajasthan state bird; CMS Appendix I; Project GIB (2016); captive breeding centres (Sam, Ramdevra, Jaisalmer); CMS COP15 (Brazil, 2026); India hosted CMS COP13 (Gandhinagar, 2020). Mains GS-3: “The Great Indian Bustard faces dual threats from power lines and habitat conversion for renewable energy. How should India resolve this climate-biodiversity trade-off?” Mains GS-2: Role of international conventions (CMS, CITES) in complementing India’s domestic wildlife protection laws.
📌 Facts Corner — Knowledgepedia
Great Indian Bustard (GIB):
- Scientific name: Ardeotis nigriceps
- IUCN status: Critically Endangered
- Global population: fewer than 150 individuals
- CITES: Appendix I
- WPA 1972: Schedule I
- State bird: Rajasthan
2026 Hatching:
- Technique: Jumpstart Approach (inter-state egg transfer)
- Egg source: Rajasthan captive breeding centre
- Hatch location: Kutch, Gujarat
- Distance: 770 km in ~19 hours
- Gujarat GIB population before hatch: 3 females, 0 males
Project GIB:
- Launched: 2016
- Lead: Wildlife Institute of India (WII) + State Forest Departments + MoEFCC
- Captive breeding centres: Sam + Ramdevra (both in Jaisalmer district, Rajasthan)
- Captive population (Rajasthan): ~73 birds
CMS COP15 (2026):
- Venue: Brazil
- New species added to protected lists: 40
- India hosted CMS COP13: Gandhinagar, January 2020
- CMS established: 1979, Bonn, Germany (Bonn Convention)
- Administered by: UNEP
Other Relevant Facts:
- Biggest threat: Overhead power lines (forward-facing narrow vision of GIBs)
- Supreme Court 2021: Ordered underground cabling in core GIB habitat; revised to balance solar energy concerns
- Historical range: 11 states; now effectively restricted to Rajasthan + small Gujarat population
- Abu Dhabi programme: Partner in captive breeding (Houbara bustard expertise)
- Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act: 2022 (strengthened protections)
Sources: Wildlife Institute of India, MoEFCC, The Hindu, CMS Secretariat