KUTCH GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD SANCTUARY

KUTCH GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD SANCTUARY

Subject : Environment

Context : A fire broke out inside the Lala-Budiya Great Indian Bustard (GIB) Sanctuary near Naliya in Kutch district of Gujarat on Thursday evening, damaging at least 20 hectares of vegetation.

Concept :

• Kutch Bustard Sanctuary or Kachchh Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, also known as Lala–ParjanSanctuary,is located near Jakhau village in Taluka Abdasa, Gujarat, India.
• This sanctuary is one of the two great Indian bustard sanctuaries in Gujarat; the other one is in Jamnagar.
• However, the sanctuary presently legally covers a protected area of about 2 square kilometres (0.77 sq mi) of area (202.86 hectares (501.3 acres) of fenced land only and is the smallest sanctuary in the country.

About GIB

• Listed under Critically Endangered Category of IUCN Red List.
• Listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. It is also listed in Appendix I of CITES.
• Identified for the species recovery program under Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats Scheme.
• Declared as the state bird of Rajasthan.

Protected areas dedicated to GIB

• Rajasthan: Desert National Park – Jaisalmer and Balmer
• Gujarat: Naliya Sanctuary in Kutch
• Madhya Pradesh: Karera Wildlife Sanctuary (The species disappeared from Madhya Pradesh in early 90s’)
• Maharashtra: Nannaj Grasslands, Solapur
• Andhra Pradesh: Rollapadu Wildlife Sanctuary.