Grasslands are India's most neglected ecosystems. Using the GIB as an umbrella species, suggest a policy framework for grassland conservation.

India's dry grasslands are often treated as "unproductive wastelands" and handed over for other uses [4]. The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) shows the cost most clearly. It is Critically Endangered, listed in Schedule I, and only about 150 birds remain in the Thar [3]. Because it is so sensitive to habitat loss, it can anchor a grassland policy.

Why the GIB is a good umbrella species

• It needs large, open grasslands. Protecting it protects the wider Thar grassland community, including Central Asian Flyway stopovers [1].
• It suffers from every major grassland threat: power lines, stray dogs and tree planting on open land [4]. A landscape that is safe for the GIB is safe for floricans and other grassland birds too.

A policy framework for grasslands

1. Legal recognition: Create a separate "grassland" category in revenue records so that grasslands stop being diverted as wasteland [4].
2. Science-based core zones: Fenced enclosures covered about 1% of the study area but held about 70% of tagged-bird locations [4]. Expand the model of ~200 sq km of enclosures in Desert National Park [1].
3. Zoning for energy projects: Use the Supreme Court's area-specific approach in M.K. Ranjitsinh. It fixed a 14,013 sq km priority area with no new wind turbines or solar plants above 2 MW, set aside a separate power corridor, and ordered undergrounding of power lines within fixed deadlines [2]. Build these rules into Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) for other grasslands.
4. Controlling threats outside the fence: Run dog sterilisation with village panchayats, and stop planting trees on open grasslands [4].
5. A stake for local communities: Earlier sanctuaries were declared without settling people's land rights. This caused anger and local extinctions of the bird [4]. Offer grazing rights, eco-tourism income and compensation instead, in line with the National Action Plan's community-engagement pillar [1].
6. Ex-situ insurance and funding: Continue CAMPA-funded breeding at Sam and Ramdevra, along with "jumpstart" (placing captive-laid eggs in wild nests) and rewilding [1][3]. Create a dedicated grassland window within CAMPA.
7. Monitoring: Track released birds with telemetry and study climate-change impacts, as the Supreme Court has directed [2].

Revenue record reform → Core enclosures → Energy zoning → Community stake
          ↑                                                    ↓
          └──────────── Telemetry-based adaptive review ←──────┘

Figure: A grassland policy cycle anchored on the GIB

In short, the GIB turns grassland conservation from a vague goal into measurable targets: how much habitat is secured, how many birds die on power lines, and how many birds survive. A framework that combines legal recognition, energy zoning and community partnership can protect grasslands while still allowing clean energy, in keeping with Article 51A(g) and SDG 15 (Life on Land).