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Pune: A female Great Indian Bustard roams alone in Nannaj sanctuary since 2015. She is the last surviving inhabitant of her large flock, a critically endangered species, which once thrived majestically in the grasslands. A 13-year-long study conducted by local birdwatcher Sarang Mhamane and field researcher of many ecological studies in grasslands Akshay Bharadwaj said that similar to her fate, the number of many large-bodied specialist birds have declined in the Nannaj grasslands.
Bharadwaj is the lead author of the study and a PhD scholar at the University of Neuchatel, Switzerland. The study was held between 2009 and 2021 in five villages — Vadala, Akolekati, Karamba, Mardi, and Narotewadi, of Nannaj in Solapur district. It documented 45 species of birds of which seven were migratory.
The EBird platform, a popular citizen science application for birdwatchers, records 199 species of birds in India — 45 of which were the ones in the study. Sarang, for whom it all started as a passion in 2003, documented the birds once in the morning and then in the evening. The data was used to calculate the reporting rate of each bird.
Data said large-bodied specialist birds such as the Great Indian Bustard (GIB) and Red-Necked Falcon had seen a large decline in numbers over the last decade. The bustard had gone down from an approximate rate of 50% to nearly 0. The said falcon started at an approximate rate of 23% and dipped to 0.
1%. Other grassland/open-habitat species, like Grey Shrikes and Harriers, also witnessed similar declines. Mhamane reported seeing over 26 GIBs, over 100 Harriers roosting and 12 Red-Neck Falcons in the Nannaj grasslands from 2003-2010.
At present, the numbers have fallen drastically. Only about 12 harriers were roosting in 2024, one GIB and no falcon. "The decline was rapid.
Researchers had GPS-tagged two male bustards before 2015, of which one died and the other flew to Bijapur in Karnataka and disappeared," he said. Bharadwaj told TOI, "We compared our findings with the State of India's Birds report and found that the species facing the steepest declines were grassland specialists, in line with the national trend." Mhamane has continued his work even after 2021 and has recorded 61 species of birds in Nannaj.
Nannaj grasslands are under constant threat from rampant mining, agricultural expansion, industrialisation and intolerance to conservation efforts. "Grasslands are one of the most threatened ecosystems today. The favourable topographical features and fertile soils have have made humans turn grassland habitats into the most extensively modified ecosystem.
The birds face a multitude of threats from anthropogenic change. Grasslands require greater focus on funding research and conservation efforts," said the study. In 2010, a series of surveys identified several land parcels to be protected from anthropogenic pressures.
It was met with resistance from local villagers desperate to save their land. "They once misled me, took me into the panchayat and threatened me. Now, they refrain from even telling us if they spot the GIB out of fear of losing their land," said Mhamane.
Meanwhile, the sole female roams without any chance of companionship in the Nannaj sanctuary..
