Project GIB (Great Indian Bastard) is a new Spreme Court of India proposed conservation programme to protect great Indian bastard in line with “Project Tiger”. The bench of CJI DY Chandrachud, Justice A S Bopanna and Justice V Ramasubramanian said that Project GIB could be implemented to multiply the number of critically endangered Great Indian Bastard. After the launch of “Project Tiger” under then Prime Minister Indira Gandhi helped to multiply tiger population in India and now India accounts more than 80 percent of the global tiger count. According to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), Great Indian Bastard is in the list of critically endangered species with only 50 to 250 numbers in India. Once Great Indian Bastard was a common and widespread bird in Indian subcontinent. It has now confined to a small pocket of western India. Gujarat, Rajasthan and Maharashtra have a small number of GIB population.
Great Indian Bastard is the heaviest bird with flight in the world which is mainly found in semi-arid grasslands. It feeds on insects, grass seeds etc.
Major Causes of Endangerment
Once most common bird of Indian subcontinent, facing rapid reduction in the population of Great Indian Bastard. Decline of the grassland is the major reason of the endangerment . Semi-arid tall grasslands are the favourable habitat of GIB. GIBs avoids irrigated farmlands and once agriculture starts in grasslands, bastards migrates to neighboring areas. Indira Gandhi Canal system which irrigate thousands of hectares which boosted agricultural production but severely affected the life of bastards. Overhead power transmission cables are another serious threat to GIBs. Due to their poor frontal vision, bastards are unable to spot cables from distanc and are too heavy turn away when close. Supreme Court had already ordered to switch overhead cables into underground in the natural habitat of bastards in western India.
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