Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav launched India's first rewilding process for captive-bred Great Indian Bustards (GIBs) in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The GIB, critically endangered with fewer than 150 individuals surviving in the wild, is India's most threatened bird. Captive breeding began at the Desert National Park breeding centre. The rewilding initiative marks a shift from ex-situ conservation to reintroducing bred individuals into their native desert habitat, aiming to stabilise the collapsing wild population.

The Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps) is India's most critically endangered bird, listed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and Appendix I of CITES, offering the highest legal protection. The IUCN Red List classifies it as Critically Endangered. Its population has crashed from several thousand in the 1960s to under 150 today, with Rajasthan holding the largest share.

Two conservation strategies apply here. Ex-situ conservation means protecting species outside their natural habitat — in zoos, breeding centres, or seed banks. In-situ conservation means protecting species within their natural ecosystem. India's GIB captive breeding programme at Desert National Park (DNP), Jaisalmer, is ex-situ. Rewilding — returning captive-bred animals to the wild — is the bridge between ex-situ breeding success and in-situ population recovery.

The GIB's primary threats include high-voltage power line collisions (GIBs have poor frontal vision and cannot dodge lines), habitat loss from agriculture and renewable energy infrastructure, and hunting. The Supreme Court in 2021 ordered undergrounding of power lines in GIB habitat, though this was subsequently modified.

The nodal ministry is the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). The species is protected under Project Bustard and features in India's National Wildlife Action Plan. Desert National Park, spread across Jaisalmer and Barmer districts, is the key protected area for this species. For UPSC, the examiner tests IUCN status, Schedule classification, threats, and the distinction between ex-situ and in-situ conservation.