Battling to rescue the Great Indian bustard from the brink

On an individual level, Sumit Dookia runs a conservation project in Jaisalmer. Dookia explained that there is a greater focus on community initiatives outside protected areas where people are engaged in pastoral and farm activities.  “Through the Ecology, Rural Development & Sustainability (ERDS) Foundation, registered in 2019, local residents are urged to protect the bird which showed signs of decline from the 1980s and 90s. Through the help of the Great Indian bustard, mitras like Pemani, who record sightings, information is used to find out how the species is faring outside the protected area,” Dookia said.