Project Great Indian Bustard Captive Breeding Programme enters 4th year with Two New Chicks

1. At a Glance

• Project GIB is India's flagship ex-situ conservation effort for the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), a Critically Endangered grassland bird endemic to the Indian subcontinent [1][3].
• Run by MoEFCC with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Rajasthan Forest Department at breeding centres in Sam and Ramdevra, Jaisalmer [1][2].
• High UPSC value: intersects species conservation, Wildlife (Protection) Act, renewable-energy vs biodiversity trade-off, SC's M.K. Ranjitsinh case on power lines, and CMS Appendix I listing.

2. Why in the News

• On 13 March 2026, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the Captive Breeding Programme entered its 4th year with hatching of two new chicks in Rajasthan, taking captive tally to 70 [1].
• One chick from natural mating, the other from artificial insemination (AI) — only the second AI success in the programme [2].
• Subsequent hatchings during the season pushed tally to 73 at Sam and Ramdevra [2].
• Trans-state effort yielded the first GIB chick hatching in Gujarat in a decade [2].

3. Background & Evolution

• 2011 — Ardeotis nigriceps uplisted to Critically Endangered on IUCN Red List; population estimated ~250 individuals [3].
• 2012 — "Project Bustard" proposed by MoEFCC on lines of Project Tiger.
• 2013 — GIB Species Recovery Programme launched under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats scheme.
• 2016 — CMS COP-12 (Manila) listed GIB on Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species [1].
• 2019 — MoU between MoEFCC, WII and Rajasthan Govt establishing the Conservation Breeding Programme.
• June 2020 — First chick "Uno" hatched at Sam from egg collected from the wild.
• 2022 — Supreme Court in M.K. Ranjitsinh v. Union of India ordered undergrounding of power lines in GIB habitat (later modified in March 2024).
• 2023 — Satellite centre at Ramdevra became operational.
• March 2026 — Programme enters 4th year of captive breeding; tally reaches 70→73 [1][2].

4. Core Static Facts

• Scientific name: Ardeotis nigriceps [3].
• State bird of: Rajasthan; local name Godawan.
• IUCN status: Critically Endangered (uplisted 2011) [3].
• CITES: Appendix I; CMS: Appendix I.
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I (highest protection).
• Implementing ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) [1].
• Scientific partner: Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun [2].
• Breeding centres: Sam (satellite) and Ramdevra (main), Jaisalmer, Rajasthan [2].
• Wild population: ~150 (mostly in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan); small relict populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh [3].
• Captive population (Mar 2026): 70 → 73 [1][2].
• Key habitat: Desert National Park, Jaisalmer; Kutch Bustard Sanctuary, Gujarat.

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Environmental

• Flagship species for semi-arid grassland ecosystems — protecting GIB protects an entire underrepresented biome [3].
• Threats: power-line collision, habitat loss to wind/solar farms, agriculture, predation by feral dogs [3].

Legal / Constitutional

• Schedule I species under WPA, 1972 — hunting attracts imprisonment up to 7 years.
• M.K. Ranjitsinh (2021/24): SC originally mandated undergrounding of HT/LT lines across ~80,000 sq km; March 2024 modification balanced right to clean environment (Art 21 & 14) with renewable-energy obligations and set up an expert committee.

Scientific / Technological

• Use of artificial insemination, egg-collection-from-wild, incubators, hatchers, chick-rearing aviaries at Sam [2].
• Bird-diverter devices retrofitted to transmission lines as mitigation.

Geopolitical / Strategic

• Habitat overlaps India–Pakistan border (Thar); cross-border population exchange limited; CMS Appendix I provides multilateral framework.

Administrative

• Centre–State convergence: MoEFCC + WII + Rajasthan Forest Dept; funding via Centrally Sponsored Scheme — Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats [1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• March 2024 — SC modified earlier blanket undergrounding order in M.K. Ranjitsinh citing renewable-energy targets.
• 2025–26 breeding season — 5 chicks hatched; tally rose to 73 [2].
• 13 March 2026 — Programme enters 4th year; Minister announces milestone [1].
• 2026 — First GIB chick hatched in Gujarat after a decade under trans-state effort [2].

7. Prelims Hooks

• Scientific name of GIB: Ardeotis nigriceps [3].
• IUCN status: Critically Endangered (since 2011) [3].
• Listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• Listed on Appendix I of CMS and Appendix I of CITES.
• State bird of Rajasthan; local name Godawan.
• Captive breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra, Jaisalmer, run by WII [2].
• Captive tally as of March 2026: 70, rising to 73 [1][2].
• Last stronghold: Desert National Park, Jaisalmer.
• Programme entered 4th year in March 2026 [1].
• SC case on power lines in GIB habitat: M.K. Ranjitsinh v. Union of India.
• Kutch Bustard Sanctuary (Gujarat) — smallest sanctuary in India, dedicated to GIB.
• Two chicks in March 2026: one by natural mating, one by artificial insemination [2].

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-III — Conservation, Environment & Biodiversity; Science & Tech in conservation.
• GS-II — Government policies for vulnerable species; Centre–State coordination.
• Plausible question stems: 1. "Critically Endangered species recovery requires reconciling renewable-energy expansion with biodiversity protection. Examine in the context of the Great Indian Bustard." (GS-III) 2. "Discuss the role of ex-situ conservation in species recovery, with reference to Project GIB." (GS-III) 3. "Evaluate the judicial intervention in the M.K. Ranjitsinh case for balancing Article 21 rights with India's clean-energy commitments." (GS-II/III)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• Project Cheetah (Kuno NP) — comparable species reintroduction.
• M.K. Ranjitsinh v. UoI — climate–biodiversity jurisprudence under Art 14 & 21.
• CMS COP & Gandhinagar Declaration (2020) — India hosted COP-13.
• Desert National Park — last GIB habitat; Ramsar/biosphere context.
• Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 — CITES alignment, schedule restructuring.
• Bengal Florican & Lesser Florican — other Indian bustards, also threatened.
• Renewable Energy targets (500 GW by 2030) — source of grid-expansion conflict.
• IUCN Red List categories — for prelims classification questions.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• GIB is Critically Endangered, NOT Endangered or Vulnerable [3].
• Programme is run by WII + MoEFCC + Rajasthan, not by BNHS or ZSI.
• Sam and Ramdevra are in Jaisalmer (Rajasthan), not Kutch.
• GIB is state bird of Rajasthan, not national bird (that is peacock); was a contender for national bird in 1960s.
• Don't confuse Project GIB with Project Bustard (broader, never formally launched).
• SC in 2024 modified the 2021 power-line undergrounding order — it did not scrap it entirely.