Current Affair 1:

News:

From today there will be no confusion regarding Bustard recovery Program. Read everything in sequence.

About:

The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Ardeotis nigriceps and the Lesser Florican (LF) Sypheotides indica are Critically Endangered with less than 150 and 1000 individuals left in the wild, respectively, and almost exclusively restricted to India.

Their populations have dwindled due to the compounded effects of hunting and habitat loss on their slow life-history traits.

To conserve these flagship species of grasslands, National Bustard Recovery Plans (2013) was developed by the Ministry of Environment, Forest & Climate Change (MoEFCC) in consultation with scientists and managers, that recommend:

Bustard range state Forest Departments were mandated to implement these actions. However, the vast expanses of bustard habitats, multiple conflicting interests, and partial control of the Forest Department over these lands delayed the implementation of these actions.

A workshop held in New Delhi (2014) to decide whether conservation breeding should be opted for the Great Indian Bustard found overwhelming national support for this measure.

The Wildlife Institute of India (WII) was mandated by the MoEFCC with the task of implementing this specialised activity as well as guiding agencies on science-based in-situ measures, with funding support from the National CAMPA Authority.

The Bustard Recovery Project commenced for an initial period of five years (2016-21) and an extension was granted from 2021 to 2024.

Last month, the Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) approved Rs 56 crore funding for the next phase of the conservation program of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and the Lesser Florican for the 2024-2029 period.

Both are species of Bustards in India, and the other two are Bengal Florican and Houbara Bustard.

<< Previous Next >>