Context:
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has approved ₹56 crores for the next phase of the conservation of Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Lesser Florican.
GIB species recovery programme:
- Launched in 2015.
- Purpose – Recovery of Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican.
- Implemented by – Wildlife Institute of India (WII)
- Project Components – Habitat development, In-situ conservation, Completion of the Conservation Breeding Centres, releasing captive-bred birds, Population Estimation, Egg Collection etc.
Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican are species of Bustards in India and the other two are Bengal Florican and Houbara Bustard.
Great Indian Bustard:
- Local names – ‘Godawan’ in Rajasthan, ‘Maldhok’ in Maharashtra, ‘Son Chiriya’ in Madhya Pradesh
- Endemic to – Indian Sub-continent
- State bird of Rajasthan
- Characteristics –
- Heaviest among flying birds
- Opportunist eaters – Flexible according to environment and food availability
- Distribution – Rajasthan (highest population), Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- Species Behaviour –
- Males play no role in the incubation and care of the young.
- A grassland species.
- Omnivorous.
- Conservation Status –
- Schedule I and IV of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
- IUCN: Critically Endangered
- Appendix I of CITES.
- Listed under Species Recovery Program.
According to the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in Rajasthan, 18 GIBs die every year after colliding with overhead power lines.
Lesser Florican:
- Local names – ‘Kharmor’ (grass peacock) in Gujarat and ‘Khar titar’ (grass pheasant) in Rajasthan.
- Smallest in the bustard family
- Endemic to the Indian subcontinent
- Habitat – Rajasthan, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, and parts of Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, and Karnataka
- Characteristics –
- A grassland species
- Male floricans are generally shorter and lighter than their female counterparts.
- Species Behaviour –
- Omnivorous
- Best known for the leaping breeding (aerial courtship) displays made by the males during the monsoon season
- Conservation Status –
- Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
- IUCN: Critically Endangered
Source: Indian Express
Previous Year Question
With reference to India’s Desert National Park, which of the following statements are correct?
1. It is spread over two districts.
2. There is no human habitation inside the Park.
3. It is one of the natural habitats of the Great Indian Bustard.
Select the correct answer using the code given below:
[UPSC Civil Services Exam – 2020 Prelims]
(a) 1 and 2 only
(b) 2 and 3 only
(c) 1 and 3 only
(d) 1, 2 and 3
Answer: (c)
Explanation:
Statement 2 is not correct:
There are 73 villages and also settlements or Dhanis existing within the Park which have inhabited this area for hundreds of years and with their rich culture and tradition they are an integral part of this ecosystem.
