105 - Preventing the extinction of the Great Indian Bustard (<em>Ardeotis nigriceps</em>) in India

105 - Preventing the extinction of the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) in India

Latest version in this language: Version for electronic vote | Published on: 01 Sep 2020

ALARMED by documented deaths of great Indian bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), a Critically Endangered species endemic to the Indian subcontinent, due to collisions with the power-line infrastructure laid over the species’ habitat resulting in severe negative impact on its population;

CONCERNED that deaths due to collisions with power lines have adversely affected the already fragmented and depleted populations of these birds in semi-arid regions and grassland habitats, most of which are wrongly categorised as ‘wastelands’ in Indian Government records;

FURTHER CONCERNED that with a global population of less than 150 individuals, the great Indian bustard faces imminent threat of extinction owing to severe habitat loss, predation and uncontrolled grazing of livestock disturbing the species’ breeding activities;

AWARE that bird mortalities through power-line collision and electrocution are documented in every region of the world, with the ‘Review of the conflict between migratory birds and electricity power grids in the African-Eurasian region’ adopted by the 10th Meeting of the Conference of Parties to the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS COP10, Norway, 2011) and by the 5th Meeting of Parties to the African-Eurasian Migratory Waterbirds Agreement (AEWA MOP5, France, 2012);

FURTHER AWARE that for heavy-bodied birds such as great Indian bustard, the impact of poorly located or poorly designed power-line infrastructure with inadequate mitigation measures may be particularly significant and fatal;

APPLAUDING the scientific studies conducted to identify and address this problem in many countries including India, and regional initiatives to address the issue;

RECOGNISING that guidance on good planning, cost-effective designs for bird-safe infrastructure and methods for mitigation of existing infrastructure, are available in preventing collision of bustards;

AWARE that the government of India has launched the Great Indian Bustard Recovery Programme which includes conservation breeding; and

WELCOMING the establishment of an emergency national expert panel through India’s Supreme Court to provide recommendations for the great Indian bustard’s population recovery;

The IUCN World Conservation Congress, at its session in Marseille, France:

1. CALLS UPON the Government of India, renewable energy companies (especially wind and solar) and other power companies operating in India to ensure that all new power infrastructure complies with measures to prevent bustard collision and electrocution;

2. RECOMMENDS bringing renewable energy projects under the umbrella of strict Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA), and minimising the collision and electrocution of bustards by relocating, realigning or redesigning the infrastructures of power lines, windmills and solar panels;

3. URGES the Government of India and respective state governments where bustards occur, power companies, financial institutions and other stakeholders to liaise with each other, and with the CMS Secretariat and CMS Energy Task Force, Wildlife Institute of India, The Corbett Foundation, Bombay Natural History Society and other organisations working on this species to ensure that existing and planned infrastructure which is harmful to bustards is identified and is subject to urgent remedial action, with monitoring to measure effectiveness;

4. FURTHER CALLS UPON the Government of India to recognise semi-arid regions and grasslands that are important for bustards as important ecosystems; and

5. FURTHER URGES the Indian Army and Indian Air Force to liaise with the organisations working on the species to develop a plan to manage the species inside defence establishments that are close to bustard habitats in India.

Endemic to the Indian subcontinent, the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) once roamed in the grasslands and semi-arid regions of India and Pakistan. A population of around 1,200 birds was estimated to be present in 1969, but not more than 150 birds survive in India. In 2011, this species was uplifted from ‘Endangered’ to ‘Critically Endangered’ by the IUCN mainly because of its low genetic diversity and extirpation from 90% of its former range. The GIB has suffered a great deal due to the gross neglect of its habitat. Much of the semi-arid and grassland habitats that it requires for survival have been wrongly categorised as ‘wasteland’ in government records. Such areas are given away for developmental projects – knowingly or unknowingly – sacrificing huge tracts of GIB habitat over the years. In today’s times, grasslands are diverted and destroyed for agricultural and infrastructural developments, such as industries, roads and canals, and have been heavily overgrazed, rendering them unsuitable for the species. However, the most severe and immediate threat to the GIB is its fatal collision with the power transmission wires. About 18 GIB likely die per year from a population of about 128 ± 19 individuals in Thar, which is around 15% annually, due to collision with power lines (Dutta et al.). This is extremely high given the low population of around 150 birds remaining in India.
For years, the GIB has been sharing the agricultural landscape with the locals. However, with the use of inorganic pesticides and the rapidly changing crop pattern from traditional to cash crops unsuitable for the bustards, today’s agricultural landscape has become less suitable for the GIB. Exponential growth in the population of stray or community-owned dogs is also a grave threat to the GIB, its eggs and chicks as dogs have been observed disturbing nests and thus negatively affecting its breeding success. GIB also faces a threat from its natural predators and unintentional hunting.
It is absolutely essential to recognise that the GIB today survives in human-dominated landscapes. It feeds on berries, reptiles, insects and other potential pests of crops, thus helping the farmers. The GIB’s presence in an agricultural field is not a threat to farmers. GIB conservation should encourage bustard-friendly traditional farming practices and protection of pasture lands so as to ensure a co-existence of humans and GIBs. This approach is already being piloted by The Corbett Foundation and Bombay Natural History Society and possibly others through Bustard Community Conserved Areas but needs scaling up through sustained funding efforts.
The GIB population in India has dwindled at an alarming rate in the last decade from 600 birds in 2001 to 300 birds in 2008 and to less than 150 birds in 2018. With every passing day, the GIB is moving closer to its extinction. India, credited for having fared exceptionally well in conserving large mammals such as Asian Elephant, Asiatic Lion, Greater One-horned Rhinoceros and Tiger cannot and should not let the Great Indian Bustard become a modern day Dodo.
  • Aaranyak [India]
  • Gujarat Ecology Society [India]
  • Royal Society for the Protection of Birds [United Kingdom]
  • The Corbett Foundation [India]
  • Wildlife Conservation Trust [India]
  • Wildlife Protection Society of India [India]
  • Wildlife Trust of India [India]

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