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Critical Topics and Their Significance for the UPSC CSE Examination on November 15, 2024

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Great Indian Bustard conservation efforts struggle as numbers dwindle to 2 in Karnataka 

For Preliminary Examination: Current events of national and international importance

For Mains Examination: GS III - Guidelines to safegaurd Great Indian Bustard (GIB)

Context:

Despite the Karnataka government's efforts to protect the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) by establishing a sanctuary in Siruguppa, Ballari district, the bird’s population continues to decline. Once abundant in the region, only two GIBs remain in Karnataka, down from six earlier this year.

Read about:

What is Great Indian Bustard?

Conservation of Great Indian Bustard

Key takeaways:

• Despite the Karnataka government's efforts to safeguard the endangered Great Indian Bustard (GIB) by creating a sanctuary in Siruguppa, Ballari district, the species' population continues to decline. Once abundant in the area, only two GIBs remain in Karnataka, a decrease from six earlier this year.
• In 2023, the state government designated a 14-square-kilometer forest area in Siraguppa taluk, Ballari district, as a GIB sanctuary. The Karnataka Mining Environment Restoration Corporation (KMERC) launched a special conservation project, dedicating Rs 24 crore to revitalize the GIB population across 24 villages where these birds have been observed.
• The GIB population is rapidly decreasing due to habitat loss across various states, bringing the species dangerously close to extinction, with fewer than 150 individuals remaining in the wild since 2018, most of which are in Rajasthan.
• The GIB is listed as ‘Critically Endangered’ on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List. While GIB numbers are dwindling, the species was once plentiful in the region. The state’s grasslands provide a suitable habitat for the birds, but conservation efforts are needed to maintain these grasslands and limit activities such as tree planting and construction.
• A five-member committee overseeing the breeding center project visited the GIB breeding center at Rajasthan's Desert National Park to better understand the requirements of such a facility, according to Arun SK, the wildlife warden of Ballari. Experts from Dehradun are expected to collaborate with the Karnataka forest department on this initiative.
• Wildlife enthusiasts report that only two GIBs — one male and one female — have recently been spotted in the Siraguppa sanctuary. The decline in GIBs has led forest department officials to take urgent measures, including geo-tagging the birds, artificially incubating eggs, reintroducing young birds to the wild, raising awareness among local communities, and establishing a research center in Ballari district.
• The Ballari division of the forest department has sought state government approval to GPS-tag the two GIBs recently sighted in Siruguppa and its surrounding areas. Additionally, CCTV cameras have been installed to monitor the birds’ movements along the Karnataka-Andhra Pradesh border continuously.
• Ballari Deputy Conservator of Forests (DCF) Sandeep Suryavamshi mentioned that geo-tagging is an effective way to track the GIBs’ movements, though the department is still considering its implementation.
• While Siraguppa is not officially a sanctuary, the forest department protects the 14 sq km area because it hosts GIBs.
• Trenches have also been dug around the area to prevent cattle intrusion, and it’s suggested that the birds may have migrated to the Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary, 100 km away. Currently, Karnataka’s GIB population is the smallest in India, confined to Siruguppa. According to Ballari Range Forest Officer Girish Kumar, five to six GIBs were seen five months ago, but now only two remain, likely due to climate-related migration, with hopes they will return.
• The state govern