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Captive Bred Great Indian Bustards Released in Rajasthan

Source:The Hindu ↗

Why It Matters

Highly relevant for Rajasthan state-level civil services examinations (RPSC RAS) focusing on state biodiversity, endangered species, and wildlife conservation milestones.

Summary

Two captive-bred Great Indian Bustards have been released into the wild in Rajasthan, marking a crucial breakthrough in the conservation and recovery program for India's critically endangered state bird of Rajasthan.

Key Points

  • Two captive-bred Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) were successfully released into the wild in Rajasthan as part of ongoing conservation efforts.
  • The release marks a significant milestone in the captive breeding program for the critically endangered bird, India's most critically endangered species.
  • The initiative involves collaboration between the Rajasthan Forest Department, the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), and central environment authorities.
  • The GIB faces severe threats from power transmission lines and habitat loss in its primary stronghold, Rajasthan.

Important Terms

Great Indian Bustard Species Recovery Programme

A multi-agency initiative involving the MoEFCC, Rajasthan Forest Department, and WII to save the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard through captive breeding, egg collection, and rewilding.

UPSC context

Important for RPSC Paper III (Environment & Biodiversity) and state current affairs regarding wildlife conservation initiatives in Rajasthan.

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Rajasthan Forest Department

The state government body responsible for managing wildlife habitats, implementing conservation policies, and overseeing sanctuaries like the Desert National Park in Rajasthan.

UPSC context

Relevant for RPSC administrative structure, forestry, and state-level governance questions in Rajasthan.

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Wildlife Institute of India

An autonomous premier research institution under the MoEFCC providing technical and scientific support for wildlife conservation, research, and species reintroduction in India.

UPSC context

Important for RPSC environment and ecology questions concerning premier national research bodies and wildlife management.

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Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change

The central government ministry overseeing environmental protection, forest conservation, wildlife management, and national-level policy frameworks across India.

UPSC context

Essential for understanding national environmental governance and central-state collaborative schemes in RPSC exams.

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Prelims Trap

captive-bred Great Indian Bustards released into the wild in Rajasthan... primary stronghold in the Thar Desert

Aspirants often confuse ex-situ breeding centers like Sam and Ramdevra with natural protected areas or assume the GIB is endemic only to Rajasthan (it historically spanned several states, though Rajasthan is its last primary stronghold).

Static Concepts Connected

Environment & Biodiversity Conservation

What are the key conservation statuses, threats, and habitats of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB)?

  • IUCN Status: Critically Endangered status under the IUCN Red List, reflecting a precariously low wild population.
  • Natural Habitat: Primary stronghold is the Thar Desert landscape in Rajasthan, alongside small remnant populations in Gujarat and Karnataka.
  • Major Threats: Collision with overhead high-voltage power transmission lines and loss of grassland habitats due to agriculture and industrialization.
  • Legal Protection: Listed under Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, providing it with the highest degree of legal protection.

Cross-Topic Patterns

  • Wildlife Conservation meets Renewable Energy Infrastructure

    The GIB's vulnerability to overhead power lines links wildlife conservation directly with infrastructure planning and renewable energy transmission mandates in the Thar Desert.

  • Species Recovery Programs & Ex-Situ Conservation

    Captive breeding protocols for the GIB parallel tiger and vulture conservation breeding programs under central-state collaborative frameworks.

Ex-situ breeding + Thar Desert threats (power lines) + IUCN status of GIB will feature as a matching or statement-based question.

Linked PYQs · 2

Linked PYQs · 2

  • 2025RPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    Choose the incorrect statement with respect to the Rajasthan Forestry and Biodiversity Project (Phase-2).

  • 2023RPSC_PRELIMSGS1

    The National Tiger Conservation Authority has conferred the status of the fifth tiger sanctuary in Rajasthan, to which of the following sanctuaries?