Context:
The Forest Department is framing an action plan to save Great Indian Bustard in Karnataka where its numbers are fast decreasing.
More details:
- In a novel experiment, a group of farmers at the Lala Sanctuary in Kutch, Gujarat have decided not to use inorganic fertilizers and toxic pesticides so as to save the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
- According to experts, when farmers use pesticides, GIB loses a major portion of its food — insects, locust, lizard among others — and the bird is forced to look for smaller insects in the grains, resulting in damage to the crops.
About ‘Hakki Habba’:
- In January 2017, the third edition of Hakki Habba, a three-day bird festival, was organized at Daroji Bear Sanctuary, adjacent to Hampi,
ABout Great Indian Bustard:
- The Great Indian Bustard or Indian bustard is a bustard found in India and the adjoining regions of Pakistan.
- In India, the bird is found in Rajasthan, Karnataka, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat states of India.
- A large bird with a horizontal body and long bare legs, giving it an ostrich like appearance, this bird is among the heaviest of the flying birds.
- The species is listed in Schedule I of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, in the CMS Convention and in Appendix I of CITES, as Critically Endangered on the IUCN Red List.
- It has also been identified as one of the species for the recovery programme under the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, Government of India.
- These birds are often found associated in the same habitat as blackbuck.
Source:TOI