‘Project Godawan' was launched in 2013 by Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot in order to save the GIBs of Desert National Park (DNP), Jaisalmer, from extinction. Patrolling by field staff through the park, generating awareness among the locals, and banning night traffic in order to avoid accidents with wildlife are just some of the steps that have been implemented. However, in order to formulate a better understanding of their behavioural patterns such as migration, eating habits, daily routine and preferred habitats, satellite tracking was deemed essential. The campaign funding amounts to Rs. 12.9 crore, out of which Rs. 3 crore has been provided by the Japan International Bank.
Satellite tracking of GIBs is also being conducted on individuals from the Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary in Nannaj near Solapur as well as Warora in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra.
According to Dr. Pramod Patil, winner of the Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award 2014 and more recently the 2015 Whitley Awards for conservation, satellite tracking can be crucial for understanding the ecology of landscape species such as GIBs. “Projects like these can provide information on landscape level movement and ecology of the bird that can be used for conservation actions over targeted landscape. We may come across threats that were unknown before. I am interested to know the outcome of these studies so that I can implement related conservation action strategies," he said.
Source: The Times of India.
