Great Indian Bustards : Supreme Court Constituted An Expert Committee
The Supreme Court (SC) has constituted an expert committee to balance the conservation and protection of the endangered Great Indian Bustard bird population with the country’s international commitments to promote Renewable sources of energy.
- The large-winged birds are on the brink of extinction, with one of the causes being frequent collisions with high-powered power cables running adjacent to its core habitats in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
- The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), the State bird of Rajasthan, is considered India’s most critically endangered bird.
- It is considered the flagship grassland species, representing the health of the grassland ecology.
- Its population is confined mostly to Rajasthan and Gujarat. Small populations occur in Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
- Protection Status:
- IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered
- Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES): Appendix 1
- Convention on Migratory Species (CMS): Appendix I
- Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
