Maharashtra govt sanctions Rs 64 lakh to conserve Great Indian Bustard, Lesser Florican

Over the last 50 years, the population of the Great Indian Bustard had decreased by over 80% in India

The Maharashtra Government has stepped in to initiate a major plan to save the Great Indian Bustard and Lesser Florican bird species.

Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray has sanctioned Rs 64 lakh to Maharashtra Forest Department to aid the effort.

According to state Forest Minister Sanjay Rathod, the funds would be utilised in Nannaj (Solapur), Warora (Chandrapur) and Akola.

The Great Indian Bustards or GIBs and Lesser Floricans are facing extinction.

Thackeray, a photographer and conservationist, has sanctioned Rs 1.25 crore for 2020-21 for the conservation of GIBs and Lesser Florican. “Rs 63 lakh is the first instalment of the same,” said Rathod.

“This is welcome news! Very positive indeed! After a long long time, any Maharashtra state government is talking about bustard conservation. I am not sure what plans they have for bustard habitat development. I hope they will ensure that it is retained as a grassland savanna and not convert it to woodland,”(sic) said Kedar Gore, the Director of The Corbett Foundation, which is engaged in conversation of the GIBs.

It may be recalled, in 2019 that the Supreme Court had constituted a committee to urgently frame and implement an emergency response plan for the protection of these species.

Over the last 50 years, the population of the Great Indian Bustard has recorded a decline of over 82 per cent and in the last few decades, the population of the Lesser Florican has seen a sharp decline of 80 per cent. A plea blamed various reasons for the threats faced by the two endangered birds including mortality by collision with infrastructure, particularly powerlines and wind turbines, depletion of grasslands and hunting.