Why are Safety Measurements Not Being Implemented to Save the Great Indian Bustard?

Great Indian bustard in its natural habitat

The great Indian bustard is one of the most magnificent species of birds endemic to India. It is also one of the most critically endangered. With no more than 150 birds thought to be left in the country, it is on the verge of extinction due to a wide range of factors such as mining, agriculture, and infrastructure. One form of infrastructure that has contributed to the downfall of this bird is electrocution by power lines that are part of renewable energy projects set up in the vicinity of its habitat. This example was seen in the case of a dead bustard found mutilated by forest officials in the village of Khetloi near Desert National Park in Rajasthan's Thar Desert on December 29, 2017. This was the second bustard that had been electrocuted in December 2017, fourth since June of the same year, and the ninth over the past ten years. According to Gobind Sagar Bhardwaj, former director of Desert National Park, the mortality of the bustard could be greater because several cases go unheard-of in the secluded landscapes of a swathe of land spreading across roughly 8,000 sq. km in Jaisalmer district known as the Great Indian Bustard Arc. In a 2010 paper, scientists warned that even though nine bustards have died over ten years, there are no more than than 150 birds left worldwide, and even if a bird dies from causes connected to human behavior, it could be extinct in three generations. The warning was repeated in 2013 in the Guidelines for the Great Indian Bustard Recovery Programme published by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. An unpublished study carried out by a team led by bustard conservationist and WII scientist, Sutirtha Dutta, revealed that five bird species die per kilometer of power line every month in the Thar Desert. An estimation of Dr. Dutta's findings to the 6,000 km of power lines bordering 3,000 sq. km of bustard habitat indicated that 18,700 birds die every month. In addition to the bustard, other birds that are killed by power lines include the griffon and Egyptian vultures, buzzards, falcons, demoiselle cranes, and even pigeons.     

A mutilated carcass of a great Indian bustard found by forest officials in Khetloi village.

Since 2000, two prime bustard habitats have been encroached by an abundance of renewable energy projects - mainly wind - located in isolated, open areas, from where the electricity must be discharged to the grid. One of these habitats is the Thar Desert, where it is estimated that 90 of the 125 bustards remain in India. Another significant bustard habitat is Kutch district in the state of Gujarat, which accommodates, probably a dozen birds, making it the country's second largest bustard population. However, the numbers in the state are obscure. It was reported in November 2016 that Gujarat announced there were 40 birds, but a count from that same year showed no more than six birds. In addition to Rajasthan, power lines have also killed bustards in Solapur district in southern Maharashtra; three over the last ten years. The last victim was a breeding male named "Alpha", who was identified with a GPS transmitter connected to a satellite and was burned by a power line running close to Nanaj Wildlife Sanctuary. Experts estimate that there are no more than eight bustards in Solapur district. According to Dr. Dutta, male bustards are especially at risk of electrocution from power lines because of they fly low and their limited vision prevents them to spot obstacles until it is too late. These characteristics have also been discovered with the Ludwig's bustard of southern Africa, whose home range includes Karoo in South Africa which has large numbers of power lines. A study in the late 1990s documented about two Ludwig's bustards were killed per kilometer of an electric line every year. Although the number of Ludwig's bustards is in thousands compared to their Indian counterparts, their deaths by electrocution through power lines reflects that of the Indian species.

Map showing the major concentration in a tiny swathe of Desert National and remaining numbers in the Pokhran field firing range of the Indian Army.

Whenever I look at news related to the great Indian bustard, almost each and every article does not indicate any sense of hope for the future of this magnificent bird. Researchers say that bustard deaths can be preventable and safety measurements are agreed on, but why are they not implemented? What is it that is preventing safety measurements to save the bustard from becoming extinct in its native homeland? Whatever the reason, it is obvious that this bird is not being given so much attention like a more charismatic species such as the tiger despite being categorized as a Schedule I species under the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. It is extremely outrageous that the public is unaware of the plight of the great Indian bustard as it continues to decline in its native homeland, and pay more attention to other more "recognizable" animals. To save and protect wildlife, people should not limit themselves to only one or few species of wild animals; they have to educate themselves on which species of animals are listed as "endangered" and "critically endangered," and act upon it. The growing presence of renewable energy power lines is making it extremely treacherous for the bustards and other bird species to move around, and it is very crucial that the public should wake up to listen to what scientists, researchers, and conservationists say about preventing further bustard deaths. One method is to install bird-flight diverters, which are brightly-colored spirals made of steel or plastic, that make transmission lines more visible to the birds on existing power lines. But despite a meeting in June 2016 between the Rajasthan forest department, Rajasthan Renewable Energy Corporation Ltd (RREC), Rajasthan Rajya Vidyut Prasaran Nigam Ltd, conservationists, and wind-power companies to implement such measurements, nothing has changed. I urge the members of India's renewable energy companies to follow the advice from conservationists and experts in implementing such measurements and I urge the public in Rajasthan and other states where bustards are living to take action to help save the birds. Time is running out for the bustard. It is not too late to save it from extinction, but India needs to act fast.

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