Context: The Supreme Court’s decision to review its order to bury power lines in the habitat of the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) highlights the challenges in protecting this critically endangered species.

• With less than 150 individuals remaining in the wild, the GIB faces a deadly threat from power lines criss-crossing its last refuge in the Kutch and Thar deserts of western India.

Key Concern

Vulnerability to Power Lines

• Power lines pose a significant risk to all flying birds, but the GIB is particularly vulnerable due to its narrow frontal vision and large size.

• Unlike some birds with panoramic vision, the GIB’s blind areas above its head make it susceptible to collisions with power lines, leading to fatalities.

• A study estimated that power lines in the GIB habitat kill thousands of birds annually, including GIBs.

Legal and Technological Challenges

• The Supreme Court’s order in April 2021 to bury power lines irrespective of cost factors reflected the urgency of protecting the GIB.

• However, the feasibility of implementing this order has been questioned by the Centre, citing challenges such as transmission losses, maintenance issues, and safety concerns associated with underground cables.

Cost Implications and Infrastructure Development

• The Centre highlighted the heavy cost implications of burying power lines across large areas of GIB habitat, emphasizing the need to balance conservation goals with infrastructure development.

• While underground cables are considered integral to modern power transmission infrastructure, their adoption depends on factors like reactive compensation requirements and costs compared to overhead systems.

Slow Progress and Alternative Measures

• Despite the Supreme Court’s order, the implementation of burying power lines has been slow, with only a fraction of designated lines being laid underground.

• Meanwhile, other threats to the GIB, such as free-ranging dogs, pesticide use, and habitat loss, continue to endanger the species.

• Efforts such as captive breeding aim to supplement the wild population, but the priority remains freeing hostile infrastructure from GIB habitat.

Balancing Conservation and Development

• The debate over protecting the GIB habitat underscores the need to balance conservation efforts with sustainable development goals.

• While renewable energy projects offer promising solutions for addressing India’s power needs, they must be carefully planned to minimize their impact on wildlife habitats.

• Pitting conservation against development goals risks the survival of flagship species like the GIB and threatens the delicate desert ecology.

Future Directions and Recommendations

• The Supreme Court’s decision to modify the scope of burying power lines in priority GIB areas reflects a pragmatic approach to conservation.

• The expert committee’s recommendations, due by July 31, will play a crucial role in determining the way forward.

• It is imperative to find a balance between protecting endangered species and meeting energy demands, ensuring that infrastructure development does not come at the expense of biodiversity conservation.

About Great Indian Bustard

• It is a bustard found on the Indian subcontinent.

• Scientific Name: Ardeotis nigriceps

• It is among the heaviest of the flying birds.

• Distribution: The species has a current viable population of 100- 150 individuals in India and mainly survives in the Thar Desert of Rajasthan that holds about 100 individuals.

• Habitat: It inhabits dry grasslands and scrublands.

Features

• It is a large bird with a horizontal body and long, bare legs, giving it an ostrich-like appearance.

• The sexes are roughly the same size, with the largest individuals weighing 15 kg (33 pounds).

• It can easily be distinguished by its black crown on the forehead, contrasting with the pale neck and head.

• The body is brownish, and the wings are marked with black, brown, and grey.

• They breed mostly during the monsoon season, when females lay a single egg on open ground.

• Lifespan: 12-15 years

• These birds are opportunist eaters. Their diet ranges widely depending on the seasonal availability of food. They feed on grass seeds, insects like grasshoppers and beetles, and sometimes even small rodents and reptiles.

Conservation Status

• IUCN Red List: Critically Endangered

• Wildlife (Protection)Act, 1972: Schedule 1

• CITES: Appendix 1