Population remains stable but threats grow
The latest survey by the Wildlife Institute of India (WII), released by Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav, estimates the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) population at 130 ± 21 individuals. The species occupies about 16% of the Thar landscape in Rajasthan. While the population has remained broadly stable since 2017, the report highlights a significant expansion of power lines, agricultural fencing, roads, water sources, and solar plants, which have intensified habitat fragmentation and increased mortality risks for the critically endangered bird.
Infrastructure expansion threatens survival
The report notes that power lines have increased by 38.1% and solar plants by 45% between 2017 and 2025, driven by renewable energy infrastructure growth. “This expansion is of particular conservation concern for the GIB, given its vulnerability to collisions, which have previously been documented around the Desert National Park,” the report states. Increased vehicular movement and human footprint around the park further compound the threat.
Supreme Court intervention
Last year, the Supreme Court ordered the undergrounding of 250 km of critical power lines identified by the WII in Rajasthan, to be completed within two years. This directive aims to reduce collision deaths, a major cause of GIB decline.
Historical decline and conservation efforts
According to the Rajasthan Forest Department, the GIB population plummeted from 1,000 in 1978 to 745 in 2001, then to 300 in 2008, and now stands at around 130. The main reasons for the decline include habitat loss due to grassland conversion, anthropogenic disturbances during breeding, and poaching. In 2019, a breeding centre was established at the Desert National Park in Jaisalmer by the Environment Ministry and the WII to create a captive population and release birds into the wild.
