Project Great Indian Bustard Captive Breeding Programme enters 4th year with Two New Chicks

1. At a Glance

Project GIB is India's flagship ex-situ conservation effort for the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), a Critically Endangered grassland bird endemic to the Indian subcontinent [S1][S3].
Run by MoEFCC with the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) and Rajasthan Forest Department at breeding centres in Sam and Ramdevra, Jaisalmer [S1][S2].
High UPSC value: intersects species conservation, Wildlife (Protection) Act, renewable-energy vs biodiversity trade-off, SC's M.K. Ranjitsinh case on power lines, and CMS Appendix I listing.

2. Why in the News

On 13 March 2026, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced the Captive Breeding Programme entered its 4th year with hatching of two new chicks in Rajasthan, taking captive tally to 70 [S1].
One chick from natural mating, the other from artificial insemination (AI) — only the second AI success in the programme [S2].
Subsequent hatchings during the season pushed tally to 73 at Sam and Ramdevra [S2].
Trans-state effort yielded the first GIB chick hatching in Gujarat in a decade [S2].

3. Background & Evolution

2011 — Ardeotis nigriceps uplisted to Critically Endangered on IUCN Red List; population estimated ~250 individuals [S3].
2012 — "Project Bustard" proposed by MoEFCC on lines of Project Tiger.
2013 — GIB Species Recovery Programme launched under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats scheme.
2016 — CMS COP-12 (Manila) listed GIB on Appendix I of the Convention on Migratory Species [S1].
2019 — MoU between MoEFCC, WII and Rajasthan Govt establishing the Conservation Breeding Programme.
June 2020 — First chick "Uno" hatched at Sam from egg collected from the wild.
2022 — Supreme Court in M.K. Ranjitsinh v. Union of India ordered undergrounding of power lines in GIB habitat (later modified in March 2024).
2023 — Satellite centre at Ramdevra became operational.
March 2026 — Programme enters 4th year of captive breeding; tally reaches 70→73 [S1][S2].

4. Core Static Facts

Scientific name: Ardeotis nigriceps [S3].
State bird of: Rajasthan; local name Godawan.
IUCN status: Critically Endangered (uplisted 2011) [S3].
CITES: Appendix I; CMS: Appendix I.
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I (highest protection).
Implementing ministry: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) [S1].
Scientific partner: Wildlife Institute of India (WII), Dehradun [S2].
Breeding centres: Sam (satellite) and Ramdevra (main), Jaisalmer, Rajasthan [S2].
Wild population: ~150 (mostly in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan); small relict populations in Gujarat, Maharashtra, Karnataka, Andhra Pradesh [S3].
Captive population (Mar 2026): 70 → 73 [S1][S2].
Key habitat: Desert National Park, Jaisalmer; Kutch Bustard Sanctuary, Gujarat.

5. Multi-Dimensional Analysis

Environmental - Flagship species for semi-arid grassland ecosystems — protecting GIB protects an entire underrepresented biome [S3]. - Threats: power-line collision, habitat loss to wind/solar farms, agriculture, predation by feral dogs [S3].

Legal / Constitutional - Schedule I species under WPA, 1972 — hunting attracts imprisonment up to 7 years. - M.K. Ranjitsinh (2021/24): SC originally mandated undergrounding of HT/LT lines across ~80,000 sq km; March 2024 modification balanced right to clean environment (Art 21 & 14) with renewable-energy obligations and set up an expert committee.

Scientific / Technological - Use of artificial insemination, egg-collection-from-wild, incubators, hatchers, chick-rearing aviaries at Sam [S2]. - Bird-diverter devices retrofitted to transmission lines as mitigation.

Geopolitical / Strategic - Habitat overlaps India–Pakistan border (Thar); cross-border population exchange limited; CMS Appendix I provides multilateral framework.

Administrative - Centre–State convergence: MoEFCC + WII + Rajasthan Forest Dept; funding via Centrally Sponsored Scheme — Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats [S1].

6. Recent Developments (last 12–18 months)

March 2024 — SC modified earlier blanket undergrounding order in M.K. Ranjitsinh citing renewable-energy targets.
2025–26 breeding season — 5 chicks hatched; tally rose to 73 [S2].
13 March 2026 — Programme enters 4th year; Minister announces milestone [S1].
2026 — First GIB chick hatched in Gujarat after a decade under trans-state effort [S2].

7. Prelims Hooks

Scientific name of GIB: Ardeotis nigriceps [S3].
IUCN status: Critically Endangered (since 2011) [S3].
Listed in Schedule I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
Listed on Appendix I of CMS and Appendix I of CITES.
State bird of Rajasthan; local name Godawan.
Captive breeding centres at Sam and Ramdevra, Jaisalmer, run by WII [S2].
Captive tally as of March 2026: 70, rising to 73 [S1][S2].
Last stronghold: Desert National Park, Jaisalmer.
Programme entered 4th year in March 2026 [S1].
SC case on power lines in GIB habitat: M.K. Ranjitsinh v. Union of India.
Kutch Bustard Sanctuary (Gujarat) — smallest sanctuary in India, dedicated to GIB.
Two chicks in March 2026: one by natural mating, one by artificial insemination [S2].

8. Mains Relevance

GS-III — Conservation, Environment & Biodiversity; Science & Tech in conservation.
GS-II — Government policies for vulnerable species; Centre–State coordination.
Plausible question stems: 1. "Critically Endangered species recovery requires reconciling renewable-energy expansion with biodiversity protection. Examine in the context of the Great Indian Bustard." (GS-III) 2. "Discuss the role of ex-situ conservation in species recovery, with reference to Project GIB." (GS-III) 3. "Evaluate the judicial intervention in the M.K. Ranjitsinh case for balancing Article 21 rights with India's clean-energy commitments." (GS-II/III)

9. Related Topics to Study Next

Project Cheetah (Kuno NP) — comparable species reintroduction.
M.K. Ranjitsinh v. UoI — climate–biodiversity jurisprudence under Art 14 & 21.
CMS COP & Gandhinagar Declaration (2020) — India hosted COP-13.
Desert National Park — last GIB habitat; Ramsar/biosphere context.
Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022 — CITES alignment, schedule restructuring.
Bengal Florican & Lesser Florican — other Indian bustards, also threatened.
Renewable Energy targets (500 GW by 2030) — source of grid-expansion conflict.
IUCN Red List categories — for prelims classification questions.

10. Common Errors / Trap Areas

GIB is Critically Endangered, NOT Endangered or Vulnerable [S3].
Programme is run by WII + MoEFCC + Rajasthan, not by BNHS or ZSI.
Sam and Ramdevra are in Jaisalmer (Rajasthan), not Kutch.
GIB is state bird of Rajasthan, not national bird (that is peacock); was a contender for national bird in 1960s.
Don't confuse Project GIB with Project Bustard (broader, never formally launched).
SC in 2024 modified the 2021 power-line undergrounding order — it did not scrap it entirely.

11. Sources

[S1] Project Great Indian Bustard Captive Breeding Programme enters 4th year with Two New Chicks — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2239484 — (tier 1)
[S2] Trans-state Conservation Effort leads to successful hatching of Great Indian Bustard chick in Gujarat after a decade — https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleasePage.aspx?PRID=2246400 — (tier 1)
[S3] Big birds lose out in a crowded world (IUCN) — https://iucn.org/content/big-birds-lose-out-a-crowded-world — (tier 2)