New Delhi: The Supreme Court formally designated 14,013 square km in Rajasthan and 740 square km in Gujarat as “revised priority areas” for the effective conservation of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB).
The bench of Justice P S Narasimha and Justice A S Chandurkar said that that the protection of the critically endangered GIB bird was “non-negotiable”, while examining the recommendations of a expert panel on the conservation and protection of the species.
The Court was hearing a plea filed in 2019 that highlighted the declining numbers of the species and sought the intervention of the top court, as per The Indian Express.
The GIB is a flagship species of the Thar Desert, where it is known as the “Godawan”. It is critically endangered.
In 2024, the Court appointed an expert committee in 2024 to find a “delicate balance” between practical and environmental challenges in the conservation and protection of the species.
The areas were designated in Rajasthan and Gujarat on the basis of recommendations of the committee.
The court paid homage to the Bishnoi community and late Radheshyam Bishnoi, known as the “godawan man”, underscoring that their tradition of eco-veneration was a classic example of harmony with nature that modern development must now emulate.
The bench went ahead to quote “My Head for a Tree” authored by Martin J Goodman as saying: “Luckily for one giant bird, they have such eyes. For millions of years, way before primates evolved into humans, they used this lateral vision to thrive in desert lands. This is the Great Indian Bustard, the state bird of Rajasthan. It’s over three foot tall and weighs forty pounds, about as big as a bird can be and still be able to take wing. A bird that big should be easy to find. Then people came and built wind turbines, and cables between tall pylons to ferry to the city electricity garnered from desert winds. Now the species is almost extinct.”
The bench also referred to folklore, saying the survival of the bird was a” shared cultural responsibility” for it represents not just a species but the unique natural heritage and resilience of the arid landscapes.
The folklore text, when translated, says: “The pearl of the desert land, my dear Godawan; It walks with a slow, graceful gait, my stylish Godawan; On the land of the sand dunes, my Godawan wanders tallest among all the birds, my beloved Godawan.”
Apart from designation of priority areas, the committee recommended the conduct of long-term studies on the effects of climate change on the GIB. It also recommended a power corridor of up to 5 km width, which will be at a distance of 5 km or more to the south of the southern-most enclosure of Desert National Park.
These were accepted by the Apex Court. So were recommendations negating the necessity for mitigation of existing and future power lines of 11 kV and below voltage in the 100-metre buffer around the settlement.
The Court also accepted restrictions stipulated by the committee on future renewable energy projects within the revised priority areas in Rajasthan.
The original petition was filed by M K Ranjitsinh in 2019. He had sought immediate directions for the conservation of the bird species, besides the Lesser Florican (LF) species.
