Gujarat action plan sets measurable Great Indian Bustard habitat and population goals
The plan targets more than 30 birds and 200 to 500 square kilometres of connected habitat, beginning with the Lala-Rawa landscape.
The Environment Ministry has released a Gujarat action plan, prepared with the Wildlife Institute of India, that targets a minimum viable Great Indian Bustard population above 30 birds and 200 to 500 square kilometres of safe, connected habitat.
The immediate focus is an approximately 200-square-kilometre Lala-Rawa landscape. The release also reports 11 square kilometres of invasive-plant removal, 30 kilometres of predator-proof fencing around 15 square kilometres and a soft-release centre near Naliya.
Why it matters
The action plan turns species protection into measurable habitat and population objectives while linking bustard recovery with grassland management and infrastructure risk.
SCULTRA point of view
Numeric habitat and population goals make the plan more accountable. Credibility will depend on publishing baseline bird counts, infrastructure-risk mitigation, survival data, independent review and progress against time-bound milestones.
Limitations
The status figures are ministry-reported. The release does not provide the full action-plan document, funding, delivery timetable, independent population estimate or monitoring methodology. A proposed five-year national grassland assessment is not yet a completed assessment.
Source: Press Information Bureau / Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, 13 September 2026, 8:51 PM IST.