Unregulated Tourism at Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary, Nannaj

Dhritiman Mukherjee


Dhritiman Mukherjee
Female bustards hiding from tourists in Nannaj Bustard Sanctuary

Chosen as 'Picture of the Week'

With a total population of just 13 Great Indian Bustards (as per a Sept 18th, 2011 survey), tourism should be very strictly regulated in the Nannaj Great Indian Bustard Sanctuary. Bustards have disappeared from other parts of Maharashtra.

There are a lot of tourism-related pressures on the critically endangered Great Indian Bustards in Nannaj, Solapur district, Maharashtra where the population is on the decline. The  population estimate for the Nannaj region is just 10-11 birds. Estimated population of the bustards in Maharashtra is around 35-40 birds. The Pune-based NGO GIB Foundation has proposed some specific recommendations for reducing tourism-related pressures for the bustards, especially during the monsoon — when bustards gather in their traditional breeding grounds — when they should be least disturbed.

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Comments

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  1. Srikster

    Given the precarious situation for the Bustards in Nannaj, even the most extreme precaution is probably not enough. But, looking at this picture, do these two gents look like tourists? Or are they local loiterers in the grassland? They don’t even seem interested in the GIBs. So please, while we believe tourists to be responsible for all the ills our wildlife faces, let’s at least differentiate tourists from other trespassers. Because, they are NOT the same.

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