a critically endangered bird that alarms catestrophe

7/27/2019 A Critically Endangered Bird That Alarms Catestrophe

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Two bullets fired at Prince of Hungary Arc Duk

Ferdinand Franz and Sophie Maria his wife, th

Duchess of Hohenberg, killing them in Sarajev

instantly which triggered world war I in 1914. Duk

couple an hour before their assassination.

Non-Fiction-Tale

A Critically Endangered Bird That Alarms CatastropheHarrowing story of Great Indian Bustard on Indian Soil

A heartbreaking chronicle of a bird, every attempt to killing of which brought upheaval, calamity an

disaster in South East Asian Subcontinent. Any thought of obliteration of shelter of which brough

misfortune of famines and widespread devastation, any act of annihilation of habitat of whic

brought tragedy of death and destruction leading to one of the most bloodthirsty world war.

This is a story of an innocent Great Indian Bustard, that caused the alarm, fear and consternation on a wide an

extensive landscape of Indian subcontinent, which in India has been left, unheeded for too long. A chronicle of brutal murder of a giant-beautiful-fowl which has all the raison-detre subconsciously to trigger death of largepart of the mankind in the world. A dazzling and splendid big-feather-ill-fated-bird, which could have been mobefittingly called a NATIONAL BIRD OF INDIA. The bird, destruction of which had been an instinctive cause i

driving famines, death and destruction of humanity. Indian Maharajas, European Kings and mediaeval thugstarted exterminating across-the-board beautiful habitat of this bird with a deadly passion of hunting, poachinand widespread shooting. Owing to viciously-exploitative colonial-policy-of-land-tenures, open-grassland

home-range of this largest-flying-creature-in-India started getting diminished forever. Hunting Viceroys likLord Linlithgow 1943, Lord Archibald Wavel, Lord Curzon 1905, Lord Reading, Shahs of Iran, King of Nepa

King of Afghanistan, King of Malaya, Prince of Germany, Prince of Wales, who visited India at the turn of thlast century, on a historical shooting spree, destroyed plenty of these and other birds, which in chain reaction

swept across its wide ranging shelter. Exceptional-shooting-extravaganza of Archduke Ferdinand Franz of Austr1893 in India, who was maddeningly obsessed in killing of the birds, the act of such royal big guns thrashed thfar-reaching south Indian peninsular dominion of largest home range of this Indian-Ostrich. A bird which, howl

like a tiger, a big fowl which sprints like a camel, a beautiful bird, famous for its elegant courtship-ballet-danc

with a sound of mellifluous-resonance,-the fashionable hunting of which brought not only famines, naturaresource-scarcity, deprivation, but also food insecurity, death andstarvation across the whole South Asian Continent. The last ray ofhope still persists to help flourish this critically endangered

ecosystem. Hope we may act now...A K Singh

Two fires were shot at Archduke Ferdinand of Austria, onepierced his skull and another ruptured his windpipe which

further penetrated his wifes abdomen. Thus ended the daredevils life of game hunting and shooting. The assassination cast

the epoch into a worldwide conflagration. But what were the

reasons behind the man whose ferocious death triggered World

War I ? He was heir-presumptive to the Austro-Hungarianthrone and his over ambitious zeal of being despotic and

repressively authoritarian was far-exceedingly-volcanic" which

considered him "irascible bastard.". He was notoriously-disreputable for his passion for blood-sport-shooting and

hunting. He brought down 274,889 game animals all over theworld as "feudal-mass-slaughter towards the first part of the

twentieth century1. Royal prince of Hungary had an

unimaginably fascinating flavor of shooting over 5,000 stags

before a bullet ended his own life. Franz Ferdinand, Archduke

of Austria, was murdered on June 28, 1914, when a Serbnationalist, opened fire point blank at his open motorcar, as it

drove through the streets of Sarajevo finishing the ghost-of-


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cascading -malaise, thus lodging a burgeoning-phantom-of-hunting-and-shooting-of-innocent-creatures into

clamorous ending5.

Since her childhood, Sophie Maria the Duchess of Hohenberg of Czech Republic the wife of Archdu

Ferdinand Franz of Austria was fascinated by India.

Ferdinand, a Royal Prince of Hungary, had an excessive

flavor of game shooting. He was over passionate of trophyhunting that was excessive even by the standards of

European nobility of his time. He killed 300,000 games,

5000 of which were deer alone2.Sophie was so predisposed with a splendor of giant

wild animals of India, as she heard about wild beasts like

Lions, Cheetahs, Tiger, Elephant, Wild Boar and other

beautiful birds from her friends, writers, rivalsand peers. She insisted upon Ferdinand to

visit India. By chance, Asif Jah, the Nizam of

Hyderabad Mahboob Ali Khan invited him in1893 for big game hunting. Ferdinand Franz

declared a scientific-and-ornithological

expedition of his around-the-world-journeyon SMS-Kaiserin-Elizabeth-Ship from

1892-93 travelling via Suez Canal to India,

Singapore, Indonesia, Australia and Japan4.

The hot months of April and May when the

jungles of his vast estate were dry and gamewas more easily spotted were considered the

best time for Shikar-Expeditions. Theroyal saloon was shunted to platform at

Hyderabad, one of Nizams private railway

station, was made ready for arrival of the royal couple of Hungary, writes John Zubrzycki in his book-T

Last Nizam, Rise and Fall of Indias Greatest Princely State. stating further-Food for the entire party Ferdinand Franz and Sophie Maria was loaded on the train and attendants at the hunting camp alerted. Rifle

cartridges and all accessories, including gold topped walking sticks for the Nizam were sent ahead to t

faraway jungles of Rollapadu in Karnool in Andhra Pradesh. As the preliminaries were on for huntin

Ferdinand Franz brought down 300,000 trophy games and killed

near 5000 deer in his life thus shooting 25 animals a day on an

average. Notoriously disreputable for blood-sport hunting.

The Great Indian Bustard has the potential of being

called National Bird of India is found associated to

Bengal Florican, Lesser Florican and Houbara Bustard

Sophia Maria and Ferdinand Franz went on their

scientific expedition of the world in January 1893.


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Ferdinand Franz spinned the silver coin in the air and Mahboob Ali Khan the Nizam of Hyderabad who w

young man of 24 years hit the coin in every attempt, impressed the reckless and impatient young prince Austria the Ferdinand Franz

6. Sophie Maria keen to see the birds and beasts in the wild was impatient

waiting to be there in no time. She heard about Cheetah-tied-bullock-carts and black-buck-hunting-hobb

much prevalent among Mem Sahibs of India. Tents were pitched near the Alaganoor tank which terminat

into Tungabadra river near Nallamalla Forests. A massive tract of forests and the grassland ecosystestretches, as Eastern Ghats which runs

parallel to coromandel-coast close to

Krishna and Pennar rivers as Palnadu basinmerges into Tirupathi hills

26. Sophie was

excited at the picturesque magnificence of

one of the finest grassland ecosystems inthe world which support grassland

specialist birds. From the hills of

Nallamalla, sun rose

the next morning andthe valley was filled

with spectrum of

light amid clouds on

a vast stretch ofgrasslands of

Rollapadu interspersed with thorny bushes and prickly shrubs. Entourage of royal elephants reached the valle

Six bullock carts tied with tamed Cheetahs were pressed into service for hunting expedition. Single barrshotgun she knew are good for feathered small game. Wild game sports of hawking, wild geese, squirrels a

turkeys, she learnt at her infancy. Sophie understood from G P Sandersons memoirs called Thirteen-Yea

Among-Wild-Beasts-of-India, where he opines:-The Great Indian Bustard occurs somewhat plentifu

throughout Mysore-State in the open plains in the vicinity of scrub jungles. I have seen five feedintogether, three commonly. I believe that the Bustards in Mysore State migrate across central and northe

Indian states. It is exceedingly wary. Its note, usually uttered before daylight, is booming cry, not unlike dista

shout, hence it is denominated the bird that calls like a man, ( hookana ) a local vernacular name KoogiHakki

18. Valley of Rollapadu was full of, -told A P Powell, the then British Resident of Hyderabad

black bucks, wolf, jackals, Indian Foxes, Bonnet macaque, Indian Bustards, Lesser Floricans, sparrows a

mynas. The grasslands blossom with Aristida, Chrysopogons, Heteropogans, Sehima, Dicanthium and smtrees like Morinda, Phoenyx etc.

Perched on golden Howda Arcduke Ferdinand flanked with contingent of six elephants accompanied with

P Powell asked to be grounded and to march upon the grasslands on bullock cart. Cheetahs tied with bullo

carts were used extensively for hunting of antelopes specifically black bucks, chinkara, spotted deer. Ferdinan

Ferdinand Franz with Nizam of Hyderabad Mahmoo

Ali and the party of hunters from India during 1893.

Great Indian Bustards used to frequently migrate from Mysore,

Dharwad, Bellary, Gulbarga and Bidar on the borders of Andhra Pradesh


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was highly enthusiastic hunter of birds. He knew the hunting of Bustards and Floricans along with black buck

jackals and wolves will be a very stirring experience. And this was an ideal place in India for suchperipatetic-hunting never tasted before.

Powell reminds the view of ornithologist Jerdon to Ferdinand saying,- the bustard frequents bare op

plains, grassy savannahs interspersed with low bushes and occasionally high grass pasture. In the rainy seaso

large numbers may be se

together stalking over tundulating plains of entire centr

India and the most of the Decc

peninsula. I have seen flocks twenty four or more on a small hi

Towards the close of the rains, a

in the cold weather before the longrass is cut down, the Bustard w

often be found, all events in t

heat of the day, concealed in tgrass for eating large grass hoppe

blister beetles, foraging whemillet fields, along the banks

Tungabhadra river and they will fagainst you at every few steps y

take19

. Sophie Maria accompanyi

Ferdinand asked for modern 0.3bore-express-rifle properly suited

the size and strength of a lady not much heavier than a broom. Ferdinand in the front of the fast moving ca

stared at the edge of the large tank and flushed the bird, it took a long flight, with a steady and continue

flapping of its wings at no great height above the ground upto 2 to 3 miles. Bustards, if they dont migrathey change their feeding grasslands much according to the season and the supply of fruits of Ber (Zizyph

Geographical distribution of Great Indian Bustard and occurrence of summer visitorsin Pakistan. Eastern plains of Karnataka from Mysore to Bidar are natural habitat.


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jujube and Caronda ( Carissa caranda ), plenty of stocks of grasshoppers, beetles, Buprestis, Scarb

caterpillars and lizards that during rains these abound galore in the valleys of rivers and tanks along tagricultural field of wheat, cotton and millets near the waste forest lands. Mahaboob Ali the Nizam w

flanked besides the carts of Ferdinand coup

reminded them of his pursuits of shooting twel

foot alligators on lake from a specially impartsteam yacht and releasing panthers on the pla

and then hunting them on horseback with spea

He was one of the finest shots in India19.Sophie and Ferdinand along the cart ro

alighted on the ground and walked sever

forlongs afar. Then Ferdinand spoke as to hoanother ornithologist Elliot told about t

bustards being polygamous during breedi

season of October to March. All of sudde

Sophie asked the Ferdinand to see the mabustard near the bush strutting about with som

eminence, puffing out the feathers of his ne

and throat, expanding its tail and ruffling

wings, uttering now and then a low, deep,

moaning call heard in peculiar angle way off. It

was a breeding season and expansion of its throatgave spectacular sighting through a pair of

binoculars. Sophie saw with full enthusiasm, first

the male began to strut about, holding its head upas high as if it wanted to lift itself off its legs, then

after a few turns, it puffed out the upper part of the

throat just under the jaws, then drew it again, then

puffed it again and so on, on and on for three to

four times and then suddenly out goes the wholethroat down to the breast called the gular sac, and

that part of the it next the latter swells more and

more, its tail already cocked, begins to turn rightback over the back, and the lower throat bag gets

bigger and bigger and longer and longer till it looks

be within six inches of the ground. All the feather

the throat stand out, and looked at in the front,

seems to have a huge bag covered with feathhanging down between its legs which quiver about

it struts here and there with wings partly unclosed an

occasional sharp snapping of its bill. They saw th

bird from time to time uttering a sort of a deep moand standing quite still and then off it props aga

close upto female and then away from her. On bo

times, they witnessed these antics, the exciteme

Arcduke Ferdinand and Sophia Maria on arrival at Railway

Plateform near Hyderabad January 1893 being welcomed by

Nizam Mahaboob Ali, A P Powell and Prime Minister Nawab

Asman Jah Bashir Ud Daula Bhadur, Photo: Raja Deen Dayal

Ferdinand Franz after tiger hunting in Sariska Alwar Rajasthan

in 1892.Photo b Eduard Hodek Museam of Ethnolo Vienna.


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appeared gradually to relax with no manifest connubiality. This seemed to be a nautch dance for t

propitiation of the female counterparts19

. Ferdinand again disturbed the flock of bustards and some of thetook long flight with a steady and continued flapping of its wings at no great a height above the ground for fe

furlongs.

Ferdinand almost ridden down one of the

bustard that it became so exhausted after acontinuous flight of 2 to 3 Km that it came

down tired and allowed its capture. Sophie

Marry asked her escorting shikari Abdul as tonoose the bird moving on the bullock. The

fowler with a blanket folder over head and

shoulder with few pegs and gut snared at itsgirdle, encircling gradually approaching

closer and nearer dropping the blanket

throwing up the arms to catch up with the

bustard. Birds run for few yards and then riseand escape in flock of two or three and were

caught by one leg walking across the lines of

snares which were thirty to forty yards. No

sooner Sophie caressed the bird, a flock of 20to 30 bustards was sighted in the vicinity

19.

Ferdinand required shikari Abdul

command cart of cheetah for huntinFerdinand took out the shotgun with a rifl

slug and silencer shot dead four of them

Chasing far spreading birds on fast movi

cart thrilled him. Flushed and disturbebirds started moving. Seven of them we

again brought down with

point blank target and weshot dead. Franz Ferdina

shot and killed so much

wild animals to such

amazing-excess then tnature took its revenge up

him and he was shot a

killed in turn, which furthtook a nasty and revoltin

turn of the first world war. He was one of the

wealthiest men in Austria. He developed three

great passion, hunting, travel and jousting. Despitetumultuous political circumstances in Europe he

found time to travel across the globe and in the

guise of ornithological scientific expedition hespent hunting kangaroos, emus, in Australia,

hawks, eagles, herriers, ducks, geese and vultures

in Europe. Its impossible to know what was on theArchdukes mind during the last decades of thislife, if the past was any indication, it was on guns

and bloodsport-hunting. He left behind in his wake

with a killing-for-killings sake ethos among

Small fraction of Trophies on exhibit at Konopisch castle near Pragstuffed with antiquities which was Ferdinands most inexhaustible

passion of collection of trophies and ostentatious pomposity.


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princes and kings world wide, his pathological obsession for hunting infested perversion and distortion amon

the ruling class of Europe and Asia. Ferdinand personally dispatched no less than 2,74,889 trophies of variowild animals to his museum at Prague. His favorite castle hunting lodge was Konopischt south of Prag

which became most treasured hunting grounds where he made an ambitious collection of antic firearm

matchlocks, wheel locks, flintlocks and musketry.

Castle is so ghoulishly festooned with exotic animaltrophies that animal kingdom shall be bound to take

revenge from humanity on dooms day3 & 4

.

Ferdinands favorite hunting expedition of all werethe destination hunts and safaris in exotic far east

forests. One article in Sydney Daily describes how

Archduke sitting beneath a canopy, quickly,established himself as a first class marksman as

twenty horsemen and even larger pack of dogs spent

the greater part of the day driving the local wildlife

within shooting range. Newspapers around the worldfull of Archduke praise and admiration of hunting,

shooting and stalking mesmerized the princes

the east for his crafty skill and astute workmansh

of his varied wildlife hunting which was not lethan bloodlust of wild animal sports-killing whi

was far excessive and vulgar7. When Ferdina

started his hunting expedition around the world

Dec 1892 at the age of 28 set sail in cruiser bounfor North America via India, he was accompani

by over 400 sports-hunting amateurs. During t

voyage Ferdinand penned over 2000 pages of hwildlife hunting experience in the world a

nearly forgotten account of his blood thirsty

adventures7. Even as he was slowly

approaching the coast of India, he fired into thewater with a shotgun to kill hundreds of skates,

dolphins, and rays. Later he bagged vultures,

elephants, tigers, sloth bear, skunks, monitorlizards, storks, bustards, floricans and

hundreds of birds. Ferdinand was reported to be

so obsessive and bloodthirsty hunter that he

paid for his pressing-the-trigger-happinesswith permanent damage to his eardrums. His

porters carried 87 tents, bathing cabins, golden

ceilings into the jungles of India. British

governor of Nepal welcomed him when hearrived with an entourage of 203 working

elephants for tiger hunt in the foothills of

Himalayas. When the gold-bedecked Nizam of

Tamed blindfold Cheetah s were used for price catching of

blackbucks and other ungulates during the British Raj for

ro al huntin ex editions over more than last two centuries

Hunting of Busturds, floricans, ducks, geese, coots, cranespheasants, jackals and black bucks was a royal hobby during Britsh

Raj 1857-1943 where millions of such birds were brought down.


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before so far. Indian princes and Maharaja too got infatuated for development of their skill for hawking, bi

stalking, big game hunting, and shooting the Indian soil. Raja Ranjit Singh, Shah

Iran, King of Nepal, Raja of Mewa

Maharaja of Mysore, started game spo

with renewed vigor with ghost of Ferdinaover powering their body, mind and sou

And started keeping stuffed trophi

decorating their wild animal museumFerdinand Franz became the champion

trophy hunting and idol figure

ornithological shooting in the eyes of nonly among Indian Maharaja but also am

Prince of Wales, Prince of Germany an

King of Malaya. Trophies became t

symbol of status, prestige and eminence the royalty. Maharaja Surajmal Ruler

Bharatpur Rajasthan got Ajan bu

constructed at Keoladev due to which

Km2

area got flooded with water at tconfluence of river Gambhir and Bangan

which was declared as Hunting Reserve for variousaquatic and terrestrial birds later in 1902.

Boundaries of duck shooting were notified and

Keoladeo-Ghana-Reserve became one of the most

coveted and sought after bird hunting and shooting

reserve of Bharatpur in Rajasthan, -quotes Salim Ali

in his autobiography The Fall of A Sparrow- andfurther stateswas declared the fantastic private duck

shooting preserve of Bharatpur Rulers. As long as the

present Maharaja retained his powers there was no

question or thought on his part of voluntary giving uphis shooting rights and converting into a protected

sanctuary. Apart from his casual shooting of ducks,

geese, coots and cranes for sports and the table delicacy,he traditionally used to lay on four big hunting

expeditions every season to which maharajas

India, Nepal, Malaya, princes of Europe a

Middle East, Czars of Russia, Viceroys

Imperial colonies, Governors of states, top civ

servants and military brass of British Empiused to be given royal invitation for pleasu

hunting of birds. Numbered butts were allott

to the guns, distributed in strategic spots aover the lake. The whole operation worked wi

the mechanical precision of an army maneuv

with men of the state forces drilled as beaters keep the birds moving over the guns and n

letting them settle. Enormous holocausts we

accomplished at some of these gargantu

Bidar, Gulbarga, Yadgir, Bellary, Davangere, Koppal, Belgaum, Dharwad,

and Ranibennur in Karnataka are favorable grassland ecosystems

encompassing black bucks, foxes & jackals, where Bustards intermittentlytry to fly over in search of shelter, forage and breeding every year.

A pair of Great Indian Bustard was sighted near

Chelugurki village in Bellary in 2003, 2006, 2008 and

2012 mostly in search of foraging and breeding.

Great Indian Bustards continued to visit Ranibennur Sancuary in

Dharwad for foraging and breeding till the end of the last century.


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shoots and there are several records of two to three thousand birds killed in a single day, and three records ev

of over four thousand. The all time record bag of 4273 ducks and geese to 38 guns for Keoladeve Ghana wmade in Nov 1938 with Lord Marquis Linlithgow the Ruling Viceroy as the presiding slayer. Although th

British Governor Generals own contribution was not impressive, he did distinguish himself by creating wh

must be surely called a world record, of firing 1900 rounds of 12 bore ammunition from his own shoulder o

that day20

.Seven Lakhs Km

2of lands were lying waste and degraded then adjoining forested hills in the earlier part

the twentieth century in India which remains to be the beautiful habitat and shelter of these beautif

ecosystems of these Black bucks, Foxes, Wolves, Jackals, BustradFloricans, Cheetahs and Leopards.

Lord Cornwallis 1776 onwards brought Permanent Settlement

lands converting Zamindars and tax collectors into landlorddepriving cultivator to mere tenant, creating land allies for Britis

suppression of peasantry by landlords. Right to these lands conferr

on Landlords initially in Bengal and Bihar was alienable, rentable a

heritable. Privilege of utilizing the waste lands had become a saleabgood. Cultivators were occupancy tenants with rights to hold t

lands as long as they pay their taxes for default of which they cou

be evicted. Sizeable lands were sold, alienated and transferred

cultivators f

improvement revenue collecti

which was reported

have effected so call

considerable change better social-econom

situation. Industr

revolution in Engla

and import of che

textile products into India, made indigenous text

cottage industries defunct and labor unemployed, wmigrated to rural areas trying to secure land on lea

for more and more farming. Relations betwe

landlords and cultivators got strained due to t

monopoly of controlling the means to secure livelihooshifted with arbitrary extortion to landlords as t

demand for land increased exponentially whi

mounted pressure on adjoining lands22

.Another land tenure system prevalent during Briti

period was Ryotwari Settlement, established

Madras and Bombay presidencies by Sir Thom

Munroe where landlord Palegars with large estatwere abolished. Hence a need was felt to make

settlement directly with actual cultivators. There was

growing income from land because of periodic revision of revenue under this system this led to diversion millions of hectares of across-the-farm-natural-ecosystems

22. Another significant objective behin

establishment of this system was to protect cultivators from oppression of land lords which was rampant in t

permanent settlement areas. However, there were some drawbacks in the Ryotwari System like exorbitant lanrevenue fixation, government's right to enhance land revenue at its own will, payment of revenue even wh

the produce was partially or totally destroyed and finally replacement of large number of landlords by o

Great Indian Bustard is an ecosystem encompassing beautiful avifauna of lessor florican, houbra

bustards, black bucks, chinkara, neelgai, barking deer, foxes, wolves, jackals and leopards.


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giant land chieftain i.e. the one princely state. As colonial rule progressed, the typical Indian peasant or

village artisan faced a dual burden. Not only did the traditional feudal form of exploitation greatly intensifthe typical Indian villager was now also subject to the forces of mercantile capitalism. It had its eyes on a

savings or assets that any villager might possess. Eventually, the typical Indian villager was stripped of a

savings, and driven to mortgaging a considerable portion of any assets whether personal jewelry, land a

livestock, or tools and equipment despite getting adjoining good fertile forested but degraded productilands. In the colonial regime, several laws were passed that led to a catastrophic de-urbanization and d

industrialization of India. Trade tariffs and excise duties were set so as to destroy Indian industries, an

squeeze domestic trade. In states like Bihar and Bengal, severe restrictions were placed on the use of inlanwater-ways causing fishing and inland shipping and transportation to suffer

22.

This led to even greater pressures on agriculture since large categories of highly skilled artisans and no

agricultural workers were thrown out ofthe work. When the British left, India had

become the most backward a-poor-

village-based-agricultural-economy

despite possessing millions of hectares ofgood fertile forested areas. India had

inherited one of the most depressing

scenarios in Asia15

. A fairly densely

populated nation with a pitiful urban base,a rural infrastructure in wrecks, a huge

mass of population forced to survive

exclusively on agricultural production andexploitation by thousands of big feudal

intermediaries. However, the increasing

sub-division of land was a constant source

of problems and tensions in the

countryside. There was a wide scale

exploitation of agriculture

laborers and peasants due torevenue intermediaries andaccumulation of land with

very few individuals15

. So the

government in independentIndia had to initiate

appropriate steps towards

reducing these problems andintroduced Ceiling On Land Holdings. As result of this land

distribution in India has been widely iniquitous, unfair and unjust

with 3/4th of fertile land under the ownership of 7% of rural

population while remaining 1/4th of the land highly subdividedand fragmented under ownership of 48% of rural population. The

remaining 45% of rural population were landless or tenant-labors,

of which approximately 25% were working as daily wagers on the

land owned by others. It was therefore natural to expect that

independent India would endeavor to correct inequity in the land

ownership by Ceiling the Land Holdings which were brought

about by another reform like Rationalization of Land Tenure

System. It led to Reform of Tenancy System which wererequired from the viewpoints of economic optimization of agriculture and equitable distribution of lan

People given famine relief by the government at Bellary, Madra

Presidency. Album from the Illustrated London News 1877

People waiting for famine relief in

Bangalore. Album from the Illustrated

London News 20 October 1877


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ownership.These three-pronged strategies have been the building blocks of land reform in independent IndLand reform had been recognized and accepted as an important instrument of economic and social change bthese steps created havoc from the view point of environmental stability

15.

The First Five-Year Plan of Government had clearly mentioned the land policy and the specific la

reform measures to be undertaken. Most of the states passed the legislations for abolition of Zamindari an

similar exploitative land tenure systems. Now land tenure systems like Zamindari, Mahalwari, Jagir Inam, etwere abolished in all the states. As a result of abolition of Zamindari and intermediaries, about 26 lak

intermediaries and 20 lakh tenants got proprietary rights of lands i.e. they became the land owners. This w

considered to have had resulted in improving their economic and social conditions but not from tenvironmental point of view. The land revenue

income of the states were also considered to have

increased but at the cost of detriment to the millionsof hectares of across-the-farm-natural ecosystems.

Tenancy reforms were made for the removal of

intermediaries between the state and the landholder.

These reforms aimed to get "Land to the tiller"15

.Millions of parcels of such lands were distributed at

the cost of diversion of good natural ecosystems with

plenty of fairly better bio-diversified flora and fauna.

Emigrant artisans and town workers occupied suchfresh piece of natural lands became the burden on

the beasts. Almost all arid and semi-arid grasslands,

open country with thorny scrubs full of tall grasseslike Aristida, Chrysopogon, Sheima, Dicanthium

interspersed with bushes and scrubs were cleared for

collection of revenue by agricultural cultivation.

Governments never knew that it will have to payheavy prices, in the future, for such a diversion of

vast tract of grassland ecosystems, in terms

compensation for billions of rupees f

environmental catastrophes in the offing which astill being paid intermittently on alternate years f

series of droughts, famines, flooding, cloudburs

cyclonic destruction and climate change.

After Independence considerable importance w

given to collection and maintenance of land records

that they could form the basis of land development the country. These situations helped in development

the present day land records system. Powers

granting lands were given to talluka and distri

authorities. Most of such lands which were considerto have lying waste lands were granted to landle

laborers, poor artisans, unemployed rural manu

workers after independence. There are still 5.5 Lak

hectares of such pasture lands which are considerleft as fallow lands, waste lands which are consider

degraded-waste. But such lands were being used as community-property -resources for livestock grazing in t

grasslands, pasture lands and meadows for local cattle and nomadic graziers15

. Seeing all this, Lord Cliquoted, I ll pronounce Bengal and Bihar to be one of the most wicked places in the universe. Corruptio

licentiousness and want of principle seemed to have possessed the minds of all the British Imperial Civ

Servants. By frequent bad examples they have grown callous, rapacious and luxurious beyond limit31

. La

Bengal Famine took the toll of 2.5 millions of people with

death, disease and destruction over the past two centuries.

Great Indian Bustard continued to be hunted and its habitat

was was continued to be encroached upon over a large part of

India during the last two centuries for betterment of economic

and social conditions.


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tenures were in the process of reforms, rationalization of the lands were solely for the purpose of collection

heavy revenue that too in cash and in advance. This was a viscous circle of highest order complexity. Aresult of all this around 4 million people died of starvation, malnutrition, half of them dying from disease

highest mortality rate being among artisans, small traders struggled to get food. This Bengal famine cause

major economic and social disruption ruining millions of families from Bengal and Bihar.There were series

crop failures, local epidemic pestilence like plague, kala azar, drought and famines all over. Supply of foreduced, demand of food grains rose sky high. Local

unprecedented cyclones, unexpected tidal waves,

thousands of hectares of such freshly occupied landswere swept by heavy winds and torrential rains.

Nature had to take it own revenge31

.

The massive reserved stocks of foods got divertedfor exports, side tracked for support of British Army

on forefront, which killed nearly 1.9 Lakhs cattle and

destroyed the property of 2.5 millions families of

Bengal and Bihar. Fungus causing brown spot hitthe rice crop, Helminthosporium oryzae fungus

destroyed 90% of various rice variety. During 1874,

famine, in British India, swept over 1.4 Lakhs Km2

and destroyed the property of 21.5 million people.Again next year famine sweeping across Madras,

Mysore, Hyderabad and Bombay spreading throughnorth, central provinces and Punjab which covered

an area of 2.57 Lakhs Km2

and caused cataclysmic

havoc on 5.85 Crores of population which increased

the death toll, estimated to be 5.5 million peopleand similar number of livestock

Bellary, Mysore, Bombay an

Hyderabad provinces15

. Gre

famine brought unprecedentcatastrophe to entire Deccan Plate

by crop failure, commodification

grain, cultivation of alternate cropdestruction of adjoining forest

lands, obliteration of contiguo

natural ecosystems and annihilatiof pristine wildlife habitat an

genuine shelter of Great Indi

Bustard.And there were series of

famines causing death a

destruction during British rule India starting from 1769 to 19sweeping across from Beng

Madras, Mysore, Punjab, Rajpootana, Hyderabad, Gujrat, Agra, Delhi, Hissar, Bihar, Bellary, Ganjam, Ajme

Bombay, Bundekhand, Hyderabad to Berar, killing 65 millions of people and their livestock, destroying th

property worth billions of dollars. So called Great Famines caused due to the demolition of shelter of thGreat Indian Bird which seemed to have proved to be so bastard or ominous

16. This portentous ill-om

brought the threatening menace to the successive decades bringing frequent droughts, plagues and famin

intermittently till today. In 1943 Famine Commissions declared that there was no aggregate food shortage India but localized crop failures tantamount to occurrence of droughts and famines. Starvation death took

Victims of terrible famine of 1899 to 1902 in India caused widespread hunger,

long term starvation and pervasive death of millions agro-pastoral communities.

Houbara Bustard is found in deserts and sandy areas of India

and in Pakistan where it is continued to be hunted each year

with 25 permits by govt allowing 100 birds each permit

issued to rulers of Arabia, Abu Dhabi, Bharain, & Dubai.


14/22

toll among certain landless laborers, artisans, petty traders constituting 50% of rural population belonging t

non-monetized exchange economy who were paid paltry in kind and paltry in cash or in the form of Jajmasystem for reciprocal-cross-sharing-of -fixed-shares in the harvest. Food supply depended on the

employment entitlements or the demand among the primary food producers for their services. But th

were deprived of the means

acquire food. Famine Commissifurther reported, It was due to

cataclysmic break down of social a

economic networks due acquisition of the adjoining lands

emigrated labors towards villag

who were deprived of profits bdependent least wealthy classes f

giving them adequate support. Tho

owning only small plot of land, e

out their livelihood by its profits their wages as laborers and rac

rented-tenants-at-will living almo

hand to mouth16

. They were a lit

way removed from the class of fiellaborers, they possess no credit a

on them pressure soon began

mount leaving them helpless adestitute.Winston Churchil w

found to be lynchpin behind this mess of food-

grains iniquitous supply and diversion off-shorefor war-front deliberately during 1943. Osborne

quoted by Mike Davis on Late Victorian

Holocausts, Famines stating,-Scores of corpses

of humans were tumbled into old wells, because

the deaths were too numerous for the miserablerelatives to perform the usual funeral rites.

Mothers sold their children for a single scantymeal. Husbands flung their wives into ponds, to

escape the torment of seeing them perish by the

lingering agonies of hunger. Amid these scenes of

death the Government of India kept its serenityand cheerfulness unimpaired

16

During the last two centuries major portion of

live forested ecosystems adjoining to thevillages, contiguous to the agricultural lands, in

the vicinity of forests which used to be thewonderful pristine ecological-bio-diversified-

network to the tune of 85 million of hectares isreported to have been granted as record-of-rights

constitute the tragedy of commons resulting in

the depletion of shared local natural resourceswhich proved contrary to the long term best interests of the local folks which ultimately meshed econom

growth and sustainable development. Inspite of bearing the brunt of loss of more than a billion of killing

humans and livestock, despite inflicting ecological damage to the property worth billions of dollars wcouldnt forge till today right ecological perspective with nature and natural resources.

Bustards breed during March to September. Fluffy white feathers the male are inflated and displayed in courtship along with gu

sac which opens under the tung, swelling it so that a large wobb

bag appears to hang dwon from the neck. Tail is held cocked

over the body and it raises a huge resonating voice (hookan

mostly heard upto a distance of half a Kilometer.


15/22

Such Agro-pastoral-lands constitute beautiful habitat of such a unique ecosystems of varied species

avifauna, reptiles, black bucks, wolf, foxes and jungle cats. Asad Rahmani Director Bombay Natural Histosociety and Senior Scientist, Y V Jhala Wild Life Institute of India 2010 claim, -such an open nesti

ecosystem render these lands vulnerable to the threat of extinction from habitat conversion to agricultu

cultivation, infrastructural development, road networking, trench cum mound ripping plantations and loc

hunting for its eggs and meat.There were 1260 numbers of Great Indian Bustards in India, 745 by 1978, 600 2001 which are currently left with 300 restricted to fragmented pocke

in six states of Rajasthan Jailsalmer, Barmer , Bikaner Pali and Ton

Districts (125 Birds), Sholapur, Ahmednagar, Nasik and Chandrapur (50Rollapudu, Ananathpur in Andhra Pradesh (30 ), Kuchch ,Bhavnag

Jamnagar and Surendra Nagar in Gujrat (30), Bellary( 4 ) Gwalior

Madhay Pradesh (10), Kuchch shared with Pakistan (20). Great IndiBustards discovered to have co-evolved with wild ungulates like Spott

Deer, Neelgai, Barking Deer, Black bucks, Indian Gazzel and Chinka

77 million year ago in Africa and old world grasslands of South Ea

Asian Subcontinent. Birds have bro

omnivorous diet of fruits of Ziziphu

Carissa caranda, grass seeds, berrie

rodents, tiny reptiles like Uromastyspiny tailed lizards, insects li

grasshopper, beetle, , food crops li

ground nut, lintel, pods of legumes amillets. Polygamous lekking-mati

system with dominant males showisite fidelity to their display stations a

crucial factors for enhancement of tpopulation of Great Indian Bustard

24.

Govt of India declared eight Gre

Indian Bustard Sanctuary (exce

Karnataka Ranibennur Sanctuary) to maintain small

scattered refuges with large buffers, an age old traditionalbreeding spots, protecting them during breeding season, to

exclude cattle so as to provide habitat suitability, bysecuring activities, like lekking, nesting, chick rearing and

foraging. Grasslands and scrub have been considered as

wastelands and the forest departments action, untilrecently, has been to convert these shelters to forests with

plantations of fuel, fodder, shrub trees even exotic like

Prosopis juliflora, Gliricidia, Eucalyptus, Acacia auriculiformis

under either Social Forestry or compensatory afforestation,development of large water bodies, delineation of reserve grass

lands, resulting in further loss of habitat. Ecologically fragilearea conservation in the fringes of protected areas resulted in

explosion of Black Bucks and Neelgai population hunting ofthem antagonized the local agro pastoral communities entailing

vengeance killing of Great Indian Bustards. Populations of nearly

40 to 50 birds, -with-more breeding females under favorablechances of survival, -with- protected nesting over a vast

stretch,-with-no second year mortality,-with-reduced frequency of catastrophe, -with-no irrigat

inundation of water,-with-no disturbance from cattle and humans, with-plenty of food availability seemto forge the potential to revive and recuperate in the long term. Hunting of males as game birds, can plumm

Bustard is geographically distributed in entire old world India,

Pakistan, China, Kazakhstan, Iran, Saudi Arabia, Australia and Africa.


16/22

even the largest population to extinction for example in neighboring Pakistan. Low intensity of poaching India still continues specifically in western Rajasthan and Kachch shared with Cholistan desert and SindPakistan where 49 birds were hunted out of 63 that were sighted over a period of 4 years. This level of remov

is unsustainable and threatens the extinction of the largest global western Indian population within next years

24.

Next day immediately after the rains, Sophie Maria stared at the flock of around 30 to 40 Great IndiBustard behind the bushes near the tan

through her binoculars. Sun was fiery oran

hot, clouds just subsided, and reflectance the light was enabling everything to

observed crystal clear. Bustard bird about

meter height with a black cap was contrastinwith pale head and neck. Bird with a bo

with a brownish to black patch spotted

white was moving with frequently pulverizi

well developed gular pouch which weinflating with its deep resonant hoonkan

calls. This could be heard even by a farm

from half a kilometer. Bird was carryi

young chicks under its wing. Male in tadjoining, started inflating fluffy wh

feathers with frequent puffing of its gular s

which opens under the tongue. Large wobbbag appeared to hang down from the nec

Tail was held cocked up over the body. Ma

also raised its tail and started folding it on itsback. Male was periodically producing a

resonant deep booming call which was being

heard by Sophie. Wow ! Such a wonderful

resonating voice ! Sophie screamed in a flurryof excitement. It was a scientific ornithological

expedition of the prince of Hungary which

necessitated plenty of crucial information.

Perhaps this was an advance booming call formating and courtship. Abdul said to Royal

Highness,- the hens lay a single egg in and

unlined scrape on the ground madam. Onlyfemales incubate and take care their young

chick. The eggs are at the risk of destruction

from ungulates and cows. Sophie asked out ofcuriosity if some eggs could be made visible.Abdul went nearby then the hen started

making distraction display flying zigzag away

from its egg. More than half of the total

number of eggs are either eaten away ordestroyed or predated by wolf, crow, jackals, monitor lizards and mongoose and half of them are left f

hatching. Abdul told, out of 10 eggs left here madam, jungle crow predated on two eggs and Indian fox

five eggs while one egg was trampled by cattle, one egg was found infertile and two eggs were deserted25

. Nsooner Sophie Maria was busy getting acquainted with tale of survival of these birds from Abdul th

Ferdinand Franz rode on the horse along with Mahaboob Ali the Nizam, strolling slowly towards the flock

birds behind the bushes took the target from his shot gun and brought down fourteen of them one by one.

Austro-Hangarian Troops executing captured Serbians. Serbia lost

about 850,000 people during the war. It sparked off world war I.

Brutality of imperial forces, corruptible race superiority, strugglefor indecent arms race, tyrannical nationalism & war mongering

led to World War I and the Great Depression as result of market

crash, rich and poor divide, cash-cropping, mining & logging.


17/22

German historian Michael Freund described Ferdinand Franz as-man of uninspired energy, dark

appearance and emotion, who radiated an aura of strangeness, whose devilish-obsession murdered colossrate of innocent natural creatures, a man who cast a shadow of violence and recklessness. Having hunt

hundreds of thousands of bird and wild animals, in disguise of Royal Ornithological Scientific Expedition

birds and wild animals for trophies couple returned back to Veinna2. They had been previously attacked wh

a grenade was thrown at their car in the wake of Ferdinands advocacy of tripartite combination of AustrHungary cum-Slavic-Kingdom which was

vehemently dissented by Slavic. Ferdinand

deflected the grenade and it detonated farbehind them

4. He was known to have

shouted in anger to local officials, So you

welcome your guests with bombs ? Theroyal couple insisted on seeing all those

injured at the hospital. After travelling there,

Franz and Sophie decided to go to the

palace, but their driver took a wrong turnonto a side street of Sarajevo, where Princip

the murderer spotted them. As the car was

backing up, Princip a Slavic antagonist

approached and shot Sophie in the abdomenand Franz Ferdinand in the jugular.

Ferdinand was still alive when witness

arrived to render aid. His dying words Sophie were, Dont die darling, live for o

children. Princip had used the Browni

0.32 ACP cartridge, a relatively low-powround, and a pocket-sized FN model 19

pistol. The archdukes aides attempted

undo his coat but realized they need

scissors to cut it open. It was too late. H

died within minutes. Sophie also died route to the hospital. And thus ended the li

of a great hunter the world has witness so faThe assassination of Ferdinand Franz d

provide a spark that put the wheels in moti

for the most deadly confrontation on brut

forces of imperialism, a fiercely venomopowers of nationalism who were destroyi

the nature and natural-resources the wor

over, a ferociously cruel empires of militarism who were wreaking a havoc on innocent humans and othcreatures, violently merciless forces which were indulged in nefarious designs of nuclear arms race w

destroyed cities, towns and jungles of India, Japan and other island nations2

.Ferdinand Franz seemed to be haunted with the dead evil after committing a ruthless murder of enormou

wild animals all over the world, a phantom of malevolent-wicked-spiritafter slaughtering recklessindiscriminate rate of birds, a ghost weird-with-bad-omen- as if entire animal kingdom wanted to take

ghoulish revenge from the humanity which perpetrated long term injustice to them. Slavic nationals flew inthe paroxysm of rage with long standing simmering of their revengeful feelings for this despotic and notorioukiller of birds and blood-thirsty hunter. His wild life hunting expeditions and point blank expertise of shootin

became the object of abhorrence, hatred and abomination by larger part of the Slavic communities. H

manifest conduct of spontaneous outbursts seemed to be nothing but the his over-confident tone of tyrannicrepressive spirit. Perhaps the nature wanted to take its own revenge. Assassination of Franz Ferdinand add

50 million people felled by pandemic bird flue (Spanish Influenz

Virus) H1-N1, killing 9.3 million soldiers spreading toward

almost every part of the globe wiping out number of communities.

Soldiers who contracted Avian Influenza Pandemic Spanish Bird

Flue Virus H1N1 at Camp Funston during March of 1918 which

rendered millions of people sick the world over, tent hospitals had

to be set up to deal with the crisis costing millions of pounds.


18/22

fuel to fire. Since long there was a scene of simmering high tension among Great Powers of British, Franc

Russia and Japan on one side and Germany, Austria-Hungary, Bulgaria and Turkey on the other. Resurgenof brutality of imperial forces of British empire, long term exploitation of proletariat in Russia, arms-rac

for preparation of large scale war. Three years of horrific slaughter had bled the notoriously brutal nations

entire Europe. Daily life in miserable trenches drove men insane, constant artillery bombardment kille

thousands without warning, massive infantry assaulted through barbed wire and machine guns massacr

millions of humans, livestock and other animals. Disease of Pandemic Bird-Flue spread during 1918

entire Europe which engulfed entire globe leaving about 50 millions of people dead from the outbreak

H1N1 influenza spreading from soldiers to ruling classes whichwiped out almost 5% world population at the time, making it one of

the deadliest natural disasters in the human history. Country in the

center of the Europe the Spain was hard hit. It was described thegreatest-medical-holocaust in history of the world. Contrastinglymost amazing outcome was that this Bird-Flue-Virus did not affect

weak, feeble and famine affected frail people, instead, 1918 pandemic

killed predominantly healthy young adult humans attacking first theKing Alfonso XIII of Spain

31.

Under British regime, pastoral meadows and uncultivated common

natural lands were considered uneconomic-wastelands that were

granted, owned, taxed and brought under the agricultural cultivation.After independence, the focus on agricultural productivity and land

reforms caused a further acquisition of pastoral-common lands. Out

of 15% of the total geographical area of India, 23% is communitypasture and grazing lands and 16% remains to be village forests,deemed forests and thickly wooded areas left for maintaining these as

grassland ecosystems in juxtaposition to each other. For example in

rural Punjab people set about acquiring 20 Lakh acres of commongrazing lands, expropriating pastoralists, setting up agricultural colonies, constructing canals and granti

blocks of lands to peasants. Arid-pastoral lands become the spool of poverty, ignorance and oppressio

Commercial agricultural cropping of notorious cotton extended into the village commons displaced the catthuge livestock and pastoral communities in Hyderabad-Berar state leading to vicious spell of drought, famin

crop failures, compelling the farmers to committing suicide with alarming regularity53

.


19/22

India inherited the British System of Administration, British Legal System and British System of Land Tenu

as a result of which country faced series of terrible famine and enormous shortage of fodder and firewood ttoday. Large agricultural land holdings were forcibly divided, parceled out and distributed to landle

communities. Under mounting pressures of Dalit movements small portions of land unfit for cultivation we

granted to them most of whom never practiced agriculture. Collective struggle and personal tussle to be ab

to own land by these communities turned into a never ending battle to keep small parcels of land alive anunder the same crop cultivation for decades together. Litigations piled in the court of law

54.

Very soon the division of land ended up dividing communities leading to income disparities and widesprea

discontent, for now mavillages had lost the

common grazing lands

private ownership, who wefinally pushed out of the

village grazing lands a

commons, migrating fro

one village to other towand even far flung cities

other states in search

fodder, fuel and sustenanc

Private ownership alienatsuch lands for commerc

use of civil and oth

business constructionGovernment desire to grow

more-food rendered agr

pastoral-commons and grazing grounds to crop cultivation. New irrigation schemes and Green Revolution lto phenomenal increase in bumper crop production. Green Revolution prompted more and more lands to

acquired for agriculture and milk production from which emerged out a White Revolution. Drought Pro

Area Programs DPAPs were launched for more and

more soil and water conservation which culminated

into enthusiastic Water Shed DevelopmentPrograms. This imposed ban on livestock grazing

and enforced prohibition of cutting, lopping andtopping of fodder and firewood

53.

Outcome, those communities that were landless and

depended on village commons migrated out of these

watershed areas. It was expected that fodder wouldbe regularly lopped, cut and given for stall feeding

to dairy livestock. Till it could happen, communities

migrated leaving the ungrazed-grasslandsabandoned, catching fire when summer winds dried

them. The desire was not so much to provide thepeople around with an available natural resources, rather to keep them, who depended on the commons, o

Fast growing and high yielding species, which did not have any special value of fodder or fuelwood weplanted massively over vast tracts of such lands. Eucalyptus was a favorite species which largely benefited t

paper and pulp industries was afforested on mass commercial scale which seemed to have altered the habi

use of these birds. Fear of rapid desertification propelled the forest department and other agencies to plaProsopis-juliflora in Rajasthan and exotic Accia auriculiformis, Cassia siamia, Glyricidia in Karnataka f

improvement of degraded areas, on a considerable vast tracts of lands which altered and changed the basi

landscape-configuration and natural fabric of such agro-pastoral-lands wherein this ecosystem had to further nourished and improved for facilitating favorable habitat of these birds

52.

Ranibennur Sanctuary in Karnataka is a favorable habitat for Great Indian Bustards


20/22

Livelihood-insecurity and food-uncertainty haunted the nomadic seasonal cattle graziers to wander lo

distances hither and thither. Forest Rights Act 2006 granted legal recognition to millions of forest dwellincommunities over these earlier abandoned millions of hectares of agro-pastoral-forested-tracts mountin

unprecedented pressure over the territory of Great

Indian Bustard. Now, with the advent of climate

change, mitigation and adaptation programs, such-non-cultivated-wastes have been taken for Clean

Development Projects CDM or REDD+ to convert

these into economically productive agriculturallands, plantations or afforestation which could serve

as carbon-sinks51

.Bio-Fuel, bio-diesel, wind energy and solar powerprojects will further have an overriding impact on

such gorgeously beautiful landscapes. Due to

myopic- land-distribution and the ambiguity arising

from segregated ownership between private,community and government bodies, encroachment

ensued in many bustard areas, especially in and

around bustard sanctuaries of Maharashtra, Kachchh and other habitats. Activities such as mining, ston

quarrying, growth of industries and power projects along with the expansion of roads, electric poles, winturbines and other infrastructures have increased the ruthless destruction of habitat and inflicted disturban

beyond expectation .Traditionally, grasslands and scrub have been

considered as wasteland and the Forest Department, until recently,has been converting beautiful pastures into forests with plantations

of fuel/fodder shrub/tree species, even exotics likeProsopis

juliflora, Gliricidia andEucalyptus spp, under social forestry andcompensatory afforestation schemes in view of the Forest

Conservation Act 1988, resulting in further loss of the habitat.However, the current threats were mostly from habitat loss and

degradation, caused by widespread agricultural expansion and

mechanization of farming, infrastructural development such asirrigation, roads, electric poles, wind turbines, civil-constructions,

mining and industrialization, well intended but ill-informed habitatmanagement. With increased availability of water due to encouraging irrigation schemes, agriculture h

spread over vast aridsemiarid grasslands50

.

Though some protected areas have been specifically established for flourishing this ecosystem. Sonkhaliy

Sarson, Lala-Naliya, Gaga-Bhatiya, Karera, Ghatigoan, Nanaj and Ranibennur. Very good populations occur Desert National Park in Rajasthan and Rollapadu in Andhra Pradesh. Bustards seem to have abandon

Karera, Gaga-Bhatiya and Ranibennur probably due to habitat alterations. Revival of grasslands, maintenan

of arid and semi-arid-grasslands, used as agro-pastoral-landscape, with scattered short scrub, bushes and lointensity cultivation, in flat and gently undulating terrain, will definitely improve foraging and lekking sit

Birds congregate in less-disturbed-traditional-grassland-patches to breed during mid-summer and pomonsoon for nesting in open grounds for laying one or at the most two eggs per year. Thereafter it resorts

local and long-distance-nomadic-migration in response to better availability of fruits, berries, in response obtainability of insects and grains surrounded by protected natural grass-scrub habitat for free navigation.

requires different assortment of favorable micro-habitat of grasslands with relatively tall vegetation on slight

elevated undulations of ungrazed-fields with sparse vegetation, with minimal scrub, for roosting and moderavegetation for shade and resting

24.

In order to enhance the population of GIB the Great Indian Bustard and to restore such a vast grassla

ecosystem which prosper under slightly better diversified flora and fauna, we need 1) To make efforts fecological restoration of maximum possible extent of undisturbed arid grasslands, 2)To check degradati


21/22


22/22

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Indian Society for Veterinary Pharmacology and Toxico

Anand, Gujarat
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a critically endangered bird that alarms catestrophe

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