Tough Times for the Great Indian Bustard

Great Indian bustard

A five-day landscape survey carried out by the Maharashtra Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) for possible great Indian bustard habitats resulted in not a single sighting being made of the magnificent bird. However, WII scientist Dr. Bilal Habib confirmed that even though not one bustard was sighted it does not mean that there are no bustards in Maharashtra. According to M.K Rao, additional principal chief conservator of forests (APCCF), there is a discrepancy between areas covered during the survey and where the bustards were found. He further added that the birds are using new areas, which was also uncovered from WII's radio-collaring project for the GIBs last year. Despite the installation of protected area for the conservation of the bustards, their numbers continue to decrease. On the contrary, the bustards have been recorded in human-dominated areas outside protected areas in Maharashtra and neighboring states. Gopal Thosar, a GIB expert who has been associated with the bustards for more than twenty years, stated that it is a warning sign. He indicated that one of the reasons for the lack of bustard sighting during the survey was that newer GIB areas were not considered. He further added that the forest department needs to develop a policy to encourage local farmers to save the bustards. Mr. Rao added that change in crop pattern could also be one of the reasons, in which the birds do well where traditional land use pattern is still being implemented. Habib stated that the WII study has proved that the bustards were observed in and around crops of differing heights and intercrop spacing. It was noted on the edges of tall and short and well-spaced crops or grasslands. The only time when the bustards were not sighted was when there was an increase in temperature and crop harvest. Their return corresponded with the arrival of monsoon and presence of cover.

It seems that this study has discovered that the movement and sighting of the great Indian bustard is influenced by the way farmers utilize their land. When farmers incorporate traditional land use practice, it protects existing bustard habitat from any significant changes in land use. This was the case of Warora near Maharashtra's Chandrapur district, where traditional land use practice, low rainfall, and the farmers' economic status appear to be favorable for the bustards during the breeding season. However, one of the survey's team members, Prakash Kamde, pointed out that encroachments and substantial use of pesticides is threatening the birds. He further added that farmlands have shrunk for development projects, which is also contributing to the disturbance. It is highly crucial to take large-scale efforts to save the great Indian bustard in Maharashtra and in other parts of its home range. This includes incorporating a policy to encourage farmers to save the birds. The farmers will not come forward to save the bustards, unless they are rewarded. This implies that there is a great need to establish a joint partnership between the farmers and forest departments, in order to save the great Indian bustard. Furthermore, emphasis should be placed on banning pesticides and preventing large-scale development projects from taking place, especially in areas where farmers practice traditional land use. Such projects not only affect the bustards, but also the farmers' lifestyle and livelihood. As long as these threats continue to persist, the great Indian bustard will keep shifting from one habitat to another until there are no habitats left for it.

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