Trans-state Conservation Effort leads to successful hatching of Great Indian Bustard chick in Gujarat after a decade

1. At a Glance

Great Indian Bustard (GIB) (Ardeotis nigriceps) is India's most threatened large bird — Critically Endangered (IUCN) with ~150–250 individuals left, mostly in Rajasthan's Thar [S5][S6].
In March 2026, the first inter-state "Jumpstart Approach" saw an incubated egg trucked 770 km from Rajasthan to Kutch, hatching the first GIB chick in Gujarat in a decade [S1].
Relevant for GS-III (biodiversity, conservation) and Prelims species-in-news.

28 March 2026: Union MoEFCC Minister Shri Bhupender Yadav announced successful hatching of a GIB chick in Kutch, Gujarat via the Jumpstart Approach, coordinated by MoEFCC, Rajasthan & Gujarat Forest Departments and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) [S1].
Tally at Conservation Breeding Centres reached 73, with rewilding planned [S1].

Listed Critically Endangered by IUCN in 2011; uplisted due to <250 mature individuals [S5].
Listed in Schedule I, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 and Appendix I of CMS & CITES [S4].
Project Great Indian Bustard / Species Recovery Programme launched under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats umbrella; Conservation Action Plan released 2013, revised guidelines 2023 [S3].
Conservation Breeding Programme by MoEFCC + WII + Rajasthan Forest Dept began June 2019 at Sam (Jaisalmer) and Sudasari (Desert National Park) in Rajasthan [S2][S3].
2024: Captive breeding centre entered 4th year, tally 70 birds before March 2026 jumpstart [S2].

Scientific name: Ardeotis nigriceps; State bird of Rajasthan ("Godawan") [S5].
IUCN: Critically Endangered; WPA 1972: Schedule I; CITES Appendix I; CMS Appendix I [S4][S5].
Implementing ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) [S1].
Technical partner: Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun [S1][S3].
Habitat: arid/semi-arid grasslands; strongholds — Desert National Park (Jaisalmer/Barmer), Rajasthan; relict population in Kutch (Gujarat) at Lala-Parjan / Kutch Bustard Sanctuary [S3][S4].
Population: ~150 in wild (Rajasthan ~128, Gujarat 4 of which only 3 females in Kutch) [S1][S4].
Captive population: 73 GIBs across breeding centres post-March 2026 [S1].
Egg-transport corridor: Sam (Rajasthan) → Nal (Gujarat), 770 km, halt-free [S1].

Environmental: Last viable flagship of India's grassland ecosystem; recovery indexes the health of arid grasslands, often mis-classified as "wastelands" [S3][S5].
Scientific/Technological: "Jumpstart Approach" — translocation of fertile/incubated eggs from a viable population (Rajasthan) to a non-viable one (Kutch, where only 3 females remain) to revive site fidelity and rewilding pool [S1].
Legal/Constitutional: M.K. Ranjitsinh v. UoI (SC, 2021/2024) — Supreme Court initially ordered undergrounding of high-voltage power lines in GIB habitat (Rajasthan/Gujarat) to prevent collision deaths; modified in March 2024 balancing renewable energy targets and conservation [S3].
Federal/Administrative: First trans-state species-recovery operation; coordination among MoEFCC, two state forest departments, WII — model for other species (e.g., Lesser Florican) [S1].
Economic/Energy trade-off: GIB habitat overlaps solar/wind corridors of western Rajasthan & Kutch; conservation pits renewable expansion against species survival [S3].

2025: Two new chicks hatched at Rajasthan Conservation Breeding Centre; tally reached 70 birds in captivity [S2].
March 2026: First successful inter-state Jumpstart — egg from Sam (Rajasthan) hatched in Kutch after 770 km transport [S1].
Rewilding of captive-bred birds planned in near future [S1].
IUCN SSC Bustard Specialist Group 2024–25 report flagged continued risk from powerline collisions [S6].

GIB scientific name: Ardeotis nigriceps [S5].
IUCN status: Critically Endangered (since 2011) [S5].
WPA 1972 Schedule: Schedule I [S4].
Listed in CITES Appendix I and CMS Appendix I [S4].
State bird of Rajasthan (Godawan) [S5].
Main captive breeding centres: Sam & Sudasari, Jaisalmer, Rajasthan [S2][S3].
Lead institutions: MoEFCC + WII + Rajasthan & Gujarat Forest Depts [S1].
Captive population after March 2026: 73 [S1].
First inter-state Jumpstart Approach: Sam → Nal (Kutch), 770 km, 2026 [S1].
Only 3 female GIBs survive in Gujarat (Kutch) [S1].
Key sanctuaries: Desert National Park (Rajasthan), Kutch Bustard / Lala-Parjan Sanctuary (Gujarat) [S3][S4].
Major threat: collisions with high-voltage power lines in Thar [S3][S6].
Supreme Court case: M.K. Ranjitsinh v. UoI on undergrounding power lines [S3].
Minister announcing March 2026 milestone: Shri Bhupender Yadav [S1].

GS-III: Conservation of species & ecosystems; environmental impact assessment; renewable energy vs biodiversity trade-offs.
GS-II: Cooperative federalism in environmental governance (inter-state coordination).
Possible stems: 1. "Discuss the conservation challenges facing the Great Indian Bustard and evaluate the 'Jumpstart Approach' as a species-recovery strategy." 2. "Renewable energy expansion in Western India threatens grassland species. Critically examine, with reference to the Supreme Court's directions in M.K. Ranjitsinh v. UoI." 3. "Grasslands are India's neglected ecosystem. Discuss in the context of GIB conservation."

Desert National Park — core GIB landscape.
Lesser Florican & Bengal Florican — co-threatened bustards; similar recovery models.
M.K. Ranjitsinh v. UoI (2021/2024) — SC ruling on power lines vs GIB.
Project Cheetah (Kuno) — comparable trans-boundary species reintroduction.
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 — Schedules I & IV revisions (2022 amendment).
CMS COP & CITES — international protection of migratory/endangered species.
National Wildlife Action Plan 2017-31.
Grasslands & "wasteland" classification debate — Forest Survey of India.

Implementing body: MoEFCC + WII (not Bombay Natural History Society or ZSI alone) [S1].
IUCN status: Critically Endangered (not Endangered or Vulnerable) [S5].
GIB is the state bird of Rajasthan, not the national bird (that is the Indian Peafowl).
Breeding centres are at Sam and Sudasari (Rajasthan) — Gujarat does not host a centre; the 2026 hatch was a translocated egg [S1][S2].
Jumpstart Approach is inter-state egg translocation, not in-situ captive breeding.
Do not confuse GIB with MacQueen's Bustard, Lesser Florican, or Bengal Florican — all distinct species.

[S1] Trans-state Conservation Effort leads to successful hatching of GIB chick in Gujarat after a decade — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2246400 — (tier 1)
[S2] Project Great Indian Bustard Captive Breeding Programme enters 4th year with Two New Chicks — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2239484 — (tier 1)
[S3] Conservation Plan for Great Indian Bustards — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1911128 — (tier 1)
[S4] Protection of Great Indian Bustards — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=1805796 — (tier 1)
[S5] Big birds lose out in a crowded world — https://iucn.org/content/big-birds-lose-out-a-crowded-world — (tier 2)
[S6] Conservation Strategy and Action Plan for the Great Indian Bustard — https://portals.iucn.org/library/sites/library/files/documents/2016-024.pdf — (tier 2)