The Compensatory Afforestation Fund Management and Planning Authority (CAMPA) approved Rs 56 crore funding for the next phase of the conservation program of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and the Lesser Florican for the 2024-2029 period.
The proposal for the next phase is prepared by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII).
The Bustard and Lesser Florican are both critically endangered species. Only 140 Bustards and less than 1,000 Lesser Floricans survive.
The Great Indian Bustard
The Great Indian Bustard is a large bird found only in India. It is known to be a key indicator species of the grassland habitat, which means its survival also signals the health of grassland habitats.
Over 120 Great Indian Bustards are found in the desert and semi-arid landscape of Rajasthan alone; the rest survive in the wild in other range states of Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh.
Loss of their habitat to rising farmlands in semi-arid regions of Rajasthan, depredation of eggs by other predators such as dogs, monitor lizards and humans, death due to overhead power lines have caused their numbers to decline.
Lesser Florican
Lesser Florican species is endemic to the Indian sub-continent and is the world’s smallest bustard species.
Generally, lesser florican are known to breed in grasslands with sufficient rainfall, ample ground cover, and moderately tall grasses.
