Kutch, September 14 (Daily Kiran) : Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Bhupender Yadav, visited the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) habitat in Naliya, Kutch, on Monday. During his visit, he reviewed ongoing conservation and habitat management efforts led by the Gujarat Forest Department and the Wildlife Institute of India.
On social media platform X, Yadav highlighted his discussions with representatives from the Jat Sumra and Darbar communities during a ‘Khatla Sabha.’ He called for their support in the bird conservation initiatives. Yadav noted that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, India emphasizes community-based participation in environmental and wildlife conservation.
The local pastoral and farming communities play a pivotal role in the success of Great Indian Bustard conservation. During his tour, Yadav inaugurated a soft release center for the species and engaged with officials about the progress of conservation efforts.
Officials briefed him on significant ground-level activities in the GIB area. These included the restoration of approximately 11 square kilometers of grassland affected by the invasive Prosopis juliflora and the installation of a 30-kilometer anti-poaching fence to secure a 15 square kilometer area. A special initiative under the conservation breeding program involves replacing non-viable eggs laid by wild female GIBs with healthy eggs developed at the center.
The minister was informed that a chick born from these efforts successfully navigated the crucial first three months of life, marking a significant achievement in the conservation of this rare bird in Gujarat.
To further strengthen forest and wildlife conservation activities, Yadav also dispatched 33 new patrol and rescue vehicles. These vehicles will be utilized for forest security, development, wildlife conservation, regional patrolling, monitoring, and rapid response activities across various areas of the Kutch forest range.
Following this, Yadav visited the Hariyalu Gram plantation project in Sayara, where he learned about the Sayara Van Kavach initiative and its associated beekeeping center. He planted a sapling, inaugurated the Sayara Van Kavach project, and witnessed the exchange of a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for plantation activities with the Deendayal Port Authority.
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