Madhya Pradesh plans to bring back great Indian bustard after 30 years

Plans are afoot to reintroduce the critically endangered great Indian bustard in Madhya Pradesh more than three decades after it disappeared from the state due to agricultural expansion and poaching.

The bird vanished from MP after its habitat in Ghatigaon and Karera sanctuaries was converted into intensive farmland with mechanised farming. That destroyed the nesting and foraging grounds the bustard needs. Ghatigaon Sanctuary was actually set up in 1981 specifically to protect the bird.

The MP Forest Department has now shortlisted two sites for the comeback: Ghatigaon Sanctuary in the Gwalior-Chambal region and Gandhi Sagar Sanctuary in western MP’s Mandsaur-Neemuch districts. Both are seen as promising for reintroduction.

L Krishnamoorthy, APCCF-Wildlife with the MP Forest Department, said this will be a long, multi-stage process. The first phase will focus on habitat management, especially protecting grasslands in Ghatigaon Sanctuary. Only after the habitat is ready will they move to the next step of reintroducing the birds. The project was discussed at a recent review meeting chaired by Chief Minister Mohan Yadav.

The great Indian bustard has a horizontal body, long bare legs, and is among the heaviest flying birds. It’s also Rajasthan’s state bird. Today fewer than 150 GIBs survive in the wild in India. Most are in Rajasthan’s Thar Desert, with small fragmented populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.

Officials say restoring grasslands and curbing human disturbance will be key before any birds are brought back to MP.