Conservation in Gujarat has got another boost with the central government sanctioning a breeding centre for the great Indian bustard.
This will be the first breeding centre for the majestic birds which are threatened with extinction. The state government has already identified land for it in Kutch close to the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary.
Officials in the forest department said 75% of the funding for the breeding centre will come from the central government and 25% from the state government.
The officials said Gujarat had been chosen because it had taken the lead in conservation of the threatened bird species. In 2007, around 30 bustards were sighted in Gujarat but their number has now grown to 50-odd birds, said the officials. There are just 200 great Indian bustards in India.
CN Pandey, principal chief conservator of forests (wildlife), said they had identified land for the breeding centre and this had also been communicated to the central government.
"We have also agreed to share finances. Provision for such a breeding centre has been made in the state's budget for 2014-15. A species recovery programme for the great Indian bustard was also prepared and sent to the central government which has accepted it in principle. Apart from the breeding centre, several other measures will be taken up to save the bird from extinction," Pandey said.
A breeding centre for the bustard was urgently needed. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) recently included the great Indian bustard in its 'red list' of endangered animal species. In its first report, the IUCN has stated that the government should start a breeding programme to increase the number of bustards as there are fewer than 200 left in the country.
In Gujarat, the endangered bustard species is found only in Kutch. The birds are also found in Maharashtra and Karnataka.
The majestic birds are believed to have completely disappeared from Haryana, Punjab, Orissa, Uttar Pradesh and Tamil Nadu. Officials said that the IUCN has stated: "Since other conservation measures will require at least five to 10 years for effective results, the rapidly declining species numbers provide a window of less than five years and hence there is a need to take eggs from the wild and hatch them in an artificial breeding centre."
The IUCN report states that the breeding programme has to be taken up immediately.
Source: http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/environment/flora-fauna/great-indian-bustard-to-get-new-lease-of-life-in-gujarat/articleshow/45245187.cms