Shri Bhupender Yadav reviews progress of Great Indian Bustard Conservation, Grassland Restoration and Project Cheetah at Bhuj; Releases Gujarat Action Plan for GIB Conservation

1. At a Glance

• Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) Bhupender Yadav reviewed progress of three linked conservation programmes at Bhuj, Gujarat: Great Indian Bustard (GIB) conservation, grassland restoration, and Project Cheetah — and released the Gujarat Action Plan for GIB Conservation [1].
• Ties together India's flagship species-recovery efforts (critically endangered GIB, reintroduced Cheetah) with the broader, historically neglected agenda of grassland/rangeland ecosystem restoration.
• High-value UPSC topic: intersects GS-III (environment, biodiversity, conservation efforts) and current-affairs-based Prelims facts (species status, CAMPA funding, MoEFCC schemes).

2. Why in the News

• Union Minister Bhupender Yadav's visit to Bhuj/Kutch, Gujarat, reviewing GIB, grassland restoration and Project Cheetah progress, and formal release of the Gujarat Action Plan for GIB Conservation [1].
• Comes on the back of a GIB chick hatching in Kutch, Gujarat after a decade (2026) via the "Jumpstart Approach" — India's first inter-state jump-start initiative for GIB [2].
• Preparatory work reported for expanding Project Cheetah to Banni grasslands, Gujarat, with habitat readiness and prey augmentation at satisfactory levels [3].

3. Background & Evolution

• GIB (Ardeotis nigriceps): Critically Endangered (IUCN); Schedule I species under Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; state bird of Rajasthan.
• 2013: "Species Recovery Programme" for GIB initiated under Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH).
• 2016: CAMPA-funded programme "Habitat Improvement and Conservation Breeding of the GIB – an Integrated Approach" sanctioned with outlay of Rs 33.85 crore [4].
• 2019 onward: Conservation Breeding Centres established in Rajasthan (Sam, Ramdevra) with technical support from Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in collaboration with Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra Forest Departments [5].
• 2024: CAMPA approved Rs 77.05 crore over 5 years for the Conservation Action Plan for GIB and Lesser Florican, covering survey, artificial insemination, habitat improvement, predator-protection measures, community participation, and telemetry/tracking [4].
• 2026: Captive breeding programme entered its 4th year, tally of captive birds reaching 70, with new chicks hatched [6]; Gujarat's Kutch recorded a GIB chick after a decade via the Jumpstart Approach [2].
• Project Cheetah: Launched 2022, first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore, initially at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh with cheetahs from Namibia and Botswana [7]; now being expanded to new grassland sites, including Banni grasslands, Gujarat [3].

4. Core Static Facts

Item	Detail
Nodal Ministry	Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) [1]
GIB legal status	Schedule I, Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972; CITES Appendix I; IUCN Critically Endangered
Key implementing/technical partner	Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun [5]
State partners for GIB	Rajasthan, Gujarat, Maharashtra Forest Departments [5]
CAMPA funding (2024)	Rs 77.05 crore over 5 years, GIB + Lesser Florican Conservation Action Plan [4]
Earlier CAMPA outlay (2016)	Rs 33.85 crore [4]
Captive-bred GIB tally	70 birds (as breeding programme enters 4th year) [6]
Novel Gujarat mechanism	"Jumpstart Approach" — first inter-state jump-start initiative for GIB in India [2]
Project Cheetah launch	2022, Kuno National Park, MP; source countries Namibia & Botswana [7]
Cheetah expansion site (new)	Banni grasslands, Kutch, Gujarat [3]
New release at Bhuj	Gujarat Action Plan for GIB Conservation [1]

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Environmental

• Integrates species-specific recovery (GIB, Cheetah) with ecosystem-level grassland/savanna restoration, addressing India's historic policy bias toward forest ecosystems over grasslands [3].
• GIB population decline linked to habitat loss, overhead power lines (collision deaths), and grassland degradation — restoration directly targets root causes.

Scientific/Technological

• Use of artificial insemination, telemetry and tracking, and conservation breeding centres reflects assisted-reproduction and ex-situ conservation science applied to a critically endangered species [4].

Administrative/Governance

• Demonstrates inter-state coordination (Rajasthan–Gujarat "Jumpstart Approach") under central ministry coordination — a federal cooperation model for wildlife conservation [2].
• State-specific action plan (Gujarat) release signals a shift toward decentralised, geography-specific conservation planning within a national framework.

Economic

• CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund) financing shows use of afforestation-offset funds for species conservation, linking development-linked forest diversion compensation to biodiversity outcomes [4].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

• GIB captive breeding programme entered its 4th year; two new chicks hatched, taking captive tally to 70 [6].
• Kutch, Gujarat: first GIB chick hatched in a decade via Jumpstart Approach, coordinated by MoEFCC, Rajasthan and Gujarat Forest Departments, and WII [2].
• Preparatory work for Project Cheetah expansion to Banni grasslands, Gujarat — habitat readiness and prey-base augmentation reported satisfactory [3].
• Union Minister Bhupender Yadav's Bhuj review meeting and release of the Gujarat Action Plan for GIB Conservation [1].

7. Prelims Hooks

• GIB is the state bird of Rajasthan and listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
• GIB is classified Critically Endangered by IUCN.
• Nodal ministry for GIB and Cheetah conservation: MoEFCC (not a state subject alone).
• CAMPA funded Rs 77.05 crore (2024) for the GIB + Lesser Florican joint Conservation Action Plan.
• Earlier CAMPA sanction (2016) for GIB habitat improvement/breeding: Rs 33.85 crore.
• Gujarat's novel inter-state GIB conservation mechanism is called the "Jumpstart Approach".
• Technical partner institute for GIB conservation breeding: Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
• Project Cheetah (2022) involved the world's first intercontinental translocation of a large wild carnivore.
• Cheetahs were sourced from Namibia and Botswana; released initially at Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh.
• Project Cheetah is being expanded to Banni grasslands in Kutch, Gujarat.
• GIB conservation breeding involves collaboration of Rajasthan, Gujarat and Maharashtra Forest Departments.
• Captive-bred GIB population tally stands at 70 birds as of the programme's 4th year.
• Lesser Florican is conserved jointly with GIB under the same CAMPA-funded Action Plan.

8. Mains Relevance

• GS-III: Conservation of biodiversity; Environment Conservation; Species recovery programmes.
• GS-II: Centre–State cooperation in wildlife governance (cooperative federalism dimension).
• Possible question stems: 1. Discuss the significance of grassland ecosystems in India's biodiversity conservation strategy, with reference to the Great Indian Bustard and Project Cheetah. (GS-III) 2. Examine the role of inter-state cooperation and CAMPA funding in species recovery programmes in India. (GS-III/II) 3. Critically evaluate India's approach to reintroduction and recovery of critically endangered species, citing the Great Indian Bustard and Cheetah. (GS-III)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

• Project Cheetah / Kuno National Park — direct linkage via same ministerial review and shared grassland habitat agenda.
• CAMPA (Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority) — funding mechanism behind GIB Action Plan.
• Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 & Schedules — legal backbone for GIB's protected status.
• India State of Forest Report / Grassland ecosystems policy gap — broader context on grassland under-protection in Indian conservation law.
• Species Recovery Programme under IDWH (Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats) — umbrella scheme covering GIB and other critically endangered species.
• Desert National Park, Rajasthan — key GIB habitat and breeding centre location.
• Overhead power line "bird diverters" Supreme Court case (MK Ranjitsinh vs Union of India) — legal dimension of GIB conservation vs renewable energy infrastructure.
• Namibia/Botswana wildlife cooperation & India's biodiversity diplomacy — international dimension of Project Cheetah.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

• Do not confuse GIB conservation (MoEFCC + state forest departments) with a purely state-government scheme — it is centrally coordinated with CAMPA funding.
• Do not confuse the "Jumpstart Approach" (inter-state GIB hatching initiative in Gujarat/Rajasthan) with the captive breeding programme at Desert National Park, Rajasthan — they are distinct mechanisms.
• Project Cheetah's original release site is Kuno National Park (Madhya Pradesh), not Gujarat — Gujarat's Banni grasslands are a proposed expansion site, not the original habitat.
• Do not confuse CAMPA's 2016 outlay (Rs 33.85 crore) with the 2024 outlay (Rs 77.05 crore) — these are separate, sequential sanctions, and the 2024 plan additionally covers the Lesser Florican.
• GIB is not the same species as the Lesser Florican, though both are covered under the same joint Conservation Action Plan — avoid conflating the two in answers.