News: The National Green Tribunal (NGT) has asked the Centre to prepare a time-bound action plan within two months for protection of the Great Indian Bustards.
Facts:
About Great Indian Bustard:
- Features:
- It is one of the heaviest flying birds (weighing up to 15kgs).
- It can be distinguished by its black crown on the forehead contrasting with the pale neck and head.
- Habitat:
- It is endemic to the Indian subcontinent.
- It is found in Rajasthan (Desert National park), Gujarat, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh in India and parts of Pakistan
- Major Threats:
- mortality by collision with infrastructure, particularly power lines and wind turbines,
- depletion of grasslands,
- hunting,
- development of mines and human habitation in and around their habitats
- Ingestion of pesticides.
- Conservation Status:
- Critically Endangered in IUCN Red List
- Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972
- Listed in Appendix I of CITES
- Conservation Measures
- Project Great Indian Bustard: It is a Rajasthan government project launched in 2018. It envisages constituting enclosures and securing inviolate areas to ensure successful breeding of birds in the Desert National Park.
- Bustard Recovery Programme: Initiated by Union Environment Ministry in 2017, it is a programme for Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican and Bengal Florican
Additional Information:
National Green Tribunal (NGT)
- The National Green Tribunal is a statutory body which was established in 2010 under the National Green Tribunal Act 2010. T
- he responsibility of the tribunal is to work on the disposal of cases related to environmental protection, conservation of forests and other natural resources
