- Why in news
- On 4 October 2026, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released two captive-bred male Great Indian Bustards into the wild at Sam, Desert National Park, Jaisalmer.
- What it is
- The Great Indian Bustard is a large, ground-nesting bird of dry grasslands, found mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat, and is critically endangered. The Bustard Recovery Programme rebuilds a viable population through conservation breeding, habitat restoration and egg 'jumpstart'. The bird is the State bird of Rajasthan.
- Programme partners
- The programme is run by the Environment Ministry, Rajasthan Forest Department and Wildlife Institute of India, with technical help from the International Fund for Houbara Conservation.
- Captive population
- Sam and Ramdevra facilities hold 97 birds: 40 from wild-laid eggs and 57 captive-bred.
- Jumpstart approach
- Captive-laid eggs placed in wild nests were accepted by wild females; six chicks hatched in Rajasthan and two in Gujarat.
- Legal status
- The Great Indian Bustard is listed as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Captive stock
- Sam and Ramdevra facilities hold 97 birds: 40 from wild-laid eggs and 57 bred in captivity.
- Fenced grasslands
- About 200 sq km of fenced grassland enclosures in Desert National Park serve as prime breeding habitat.
- Gujarat Action Plan
- Prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India with the Gujarat Forest Department. It aims at a minimum viable population of over 30 birds and 200-500 sq. km. of safe, contiguous habitat.
- Naliya restoration
- About 11 sq. km. of grassland infested with invasive Prosopis juliflora has been restored, and the enclosure has 30 km of predator-proof fencing covering 15 sq. km.
- Jump-start
- Infertile eggs of wild females are replaced with viable eggs from captive breeding. The chick from the second such attempt survived beyond the first three months in the wild.
- Soft Release Centre
- A centre near Naliya will house and acclimatise captive-bred birds from Rajasthan before eventual release.
- Conservation status
- The GIB is listed Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List and is in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Don’t confuse with Houbara bustard: A different bustard of West and Central Asia; the International Fund for Houbara Conservation only gives technical help here.
Don’t confuse with Lesser Florican: Another endangered Indian bustard, smaller and found in grasslands of Gujarat, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh; not the Great Indian Bustard.
Don’t confuse with Great Indian Bustard vs Houbara bustard: The GIB is a resident Indian grassland bird. The houbara is a different bustard, and the International Fund for Houbara Conservation only gives technical help here.
Don’t confuse with Lesser florican vs Great Indian Bustard: Both are bustards of grasslands and share Kachchh habitat, but the lesser florican is a much smaller bird.
Species and protected areas: 12 Prelims questions since 2013; they test legal status, location and the year of designation.
Why it matters
- Marks a shift from building a captive-breeding stock to rewilding the species in its natural habitat.
- Rewilding moves the programme from building a captive population to augmenting wild numbers of a critically endangered species.
- Protecting the GIB helps conserve grasslands and helps check land degradation.
- The GIB is a flagship of dry grasslands, so protecting it also protects other open-ecosystem wildlife.
Problems
- Power lines in bustard habitat cause collision deaths, and grassland loss and low breeding rates add to the threat.
- Release protocols are untested, so survival of captive-bred birds in the wild is uncertain.
- Habitat loss and human disturbance threaten the species, so release must be tightly controlled.
- The Kachchh population is small and isolated, with threats from invasive species, predators and infrastructure.
Way forward
- Use lessons from this release to refine protocols for later releases, and protect grassland habitat with community involvement.
- Use learnings from the pilot release to refine protocols for later releases.
- Continue habitat restoration, threat mitigation and community engagement, including eco-tourism benefits.
- Restore whole landscapes with grazing management and community participation, and release captive-bred birds once habitat and protocols are ready.
Put in your answer
Supreme Court guidance: Conservation actions are guided by a Supreme Court judgment based on an Expert Committee's recommendations.
Grasslands share: Grasslands cover nearly 24% of India's land area yet are among the most degraded ecosystems.
- 2026Mains GS3 · Q8Aim and goals of Kunming-Montreal framework; India's commitments
- 2012Prelims Q92Which group contains endangered species, including Great Indian Bustard?
- 2020Prelims Q95Desert National Park statements; includes Great Indian Bustard habitat
UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Statements
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following statements:
- 1.The Bustard Recovery Programme for the Great Indian Bustard receives funding support from National CAMPA.
- 2.Under the 'jumpstart' approach, eggs laid in captivity are placed in wild nests and incubated by wild females.
- 3.The Great Indian Bustard is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
True or false?
1 of 17
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.The Great Indian Bustard Recovery Programme is funded by National CAMPA.
True. The release states funding support comes from National CAMPA.
2.The captive-breeding facilities at Sam and Ramdevra house more birds hatched from wild-laid eggs than bred in captivity.
False. Of 97 birds, 40 came from wild-laid eggs and 57 were bred in captivity.
3.Under the 'jumpstart' approach, eggs laid in captivity are placed in wild nests for incubation by wild females.
True. Captive-laid eggs were accepted by incubating wild females.
4.Jumpstart chicks have so far hatched only in Rajasthan.
False. Six chicks hatched in Rajasthan and two in Gujarat.
5.The Great Indian Bustard is the State bird of Rajasthan.
True. It is Rajasthan's State bird.
6.The Great Indian Bustard is classified as Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
False. It is classified as Critically Endangered.
7.The Great Indian Bustard is placed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
True. It enjoys the highest protection under Schedule I.
8.The Great Indian Bustard Recovery Programme is supported by funds from National CAMPA.
True. National CAMPA provides funding support.
9.The programme receives technical collaboration from the International Fund for Houbara Conservation.
True. IFHC gives technical collaboration.
10.In the 'jumpstart' approach, wild-laid eggs are hatched in captive facilities and the chicks are released.
False. Captive-laid eggs are placed in wild nests and incubated by wild females.
11.The Great Indian Bustard is the State bird of Gujarat.
False. It is the State bird of Rajasthan.
12.The Great Indian Bustard is listed in Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
True. It is a Schedule I species.
13.The Great Indian Bustard is regarded as an umbrella species of the Thar ecosystem.
True. It is described as the umbrella species of the Thar ecosystem.
14.The Gujarat Action Plan for GIB Conservation was prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India in collaboration with the Gujarat Forest Department.
True. WII with the Gujarat Forest Department prepared it.
15.In the 'jump-start' intervention, infertile eggs laid by wild GIB females are replaced with viable eggs from the conservation breeding programme.
True. Infertile wild eggs are swapped for viable captive-bred eggs.
16.The immediate focus of the Gujarat plan is the roughly 200 sq. km. Lala–Rawa landscape.
True. Immediate focus is the approx. 200 sq. km. Lala–Rawa landscape.
17.Captive-bred birds housed at the Soft Release Centre near Naliya are being brought from Madhya Pradesh.
False. They come from Rajasthan.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Worth revising until Prelims 2028: most news questions come within two years of the event.