JAIPUR: The Rajasthan government has taken an important initiative to save the fast-disappearing state bird, the Great Indian Bustard (Godavan). The state government has allotted 15,878 bighas of revenue land of four villages located in the Desert National Park area of Jaisalmer (free of cost) to the Forest Department for the protection and preservation of wildlife, especially the Great Indian Bustard.
With this additional land, some new closures of Godavan will be made in the Desert National Park and better resources will be made available for the breeding of the endangered bird which is listed in schedule first of wildlife conservation in the country.
Locally called ‘Godawan’, the bird has been categorised as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The bird, which once inhabited 12 states, is wiped out from 90 per cent of its former habitat and is confined to three small pockets: Jaisalmer in Rajasthan, the grasslands of Kutch in Gujarat and the tr of Maharashtra, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh.
Confirming the fresh allotment of land, Forest Conservator of Desert National Park Ashish Vyas said that he had sent a proposal to the state government for new resources for Godavan protection and breeding.
In the proposal of the department, the requirement of more land regarding Godavan protection was especially demanded.
With this proposal, the state government has issued an order to transfer 15,878.12 bighas of land of total 183 khasra numbers of Jamda, Bida, Chauhani and Barna villages to the revenue tehsil of Jaisalmer’s Desert National Park.