An unusual contest
Down To Earth|February 01, 2022
Rajasthan's state bird, the great Indian bustard, might lose its last natural habitat to wind and solar power plants
SHUCHITA JHA , SANWATA, JAISALMER
 An unusual contest

IT IS a January afternoon, but it feels like peak summer. A mild breeze makes up for the shards of winter, caressing the face as the eyes narrow under the glare of the sun. Birds chirp in the trees, and as far as the eye can see, there is nothing but a few hundred camels happily grazing away on the thorny bushes in the Degrai oran, a sacred grove, in Jaisalmer, Rajasthan. The windmills, visible at a distance, tower over everything else in the vicinity.

“This is the largest and one of the last orans in the area,” says Masinga Ram, a camel handler from Sanwata village, adjoining the oran. For centuries, the trees in the oran, spread over 60,000 bighas (approximately 100 sq km), have remained untouched by the people in the villages. “It is more than 600 years old and was declared a protected area by ruler Vikramdev in the 15 th century. Felling of trees is forbidden in the area. We just collect the dead branches on the ground and pluck ripened fruits for ourselves, the rest is all for the animals and birds,” says Shivdan Singh Bhati, a farmer and a member of the Degrai Mata Trust, which looks after the temple inside the oran. It is in the middle of a 13,000 sq km wide biodiversity-rich land that is among the last natural habitats of Rajasthan's state bird, the great Indian bustard (gib), listed under the “critically endangered” category by the International Union for Conservation of Nature in 2011 (see 'Net loss', p46).

An open stretch of land with long hours of sunlight, high-speed winds and large plains, the area has become a hub of green energy. Windmills and solar plants are a part of the landscape. More solar plants and transmission towers are under construction.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 01, 2022 من Down To Earth.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة February 01, 2022 من Down To Earth.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من DOWN TO EARTH مشاهدة الكل
In leading role again
Down To Earth

In leading role again

MOVIES AND WEB SERIES ARE ONCE AGAIN BEING SET IN RUSTIC BACKGROUNDS, INDICATING A RECONNECT BETWEEN CINEMA AND THE COUNTRYSIDE

time-read
5 mins  |
December 16, 2024
One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost
Down To Earth

One Nation One Subscription comes at a huge cost

As top US universities scrap big deals with top scientific publishers, India’s ONOS scheme seems flawed and outdated

time-read
4 mins  |
December 16, 2024
Return of Rambhog
Down To Earth

Return of Rambhog

Bid to revive and sell the aromatic indigenous paddy variety has led to substantial profits for farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Terai region

time-read
4 mins  |
December 16, 2024
Scarred by mining
Down To Earth

Scarred by mining

Natural springs of Kashmir drying up due to illegal riverbed mining

time-read
5 mins  |
December 16, 2024
Human-to-human spread a mutation away
Down To Earth

Human-to-human spread a mutation away

CANADA IN mid-November confirmed its first human case of avian influenza, with a teenager in the British Columbia being hospitalised after contracting the H5N1 virus that causes the disease. The patient developed a severe form of the disease, also called bird flu, and had respiratory issues. There was no known cause of transmission.

time-read
1 min  |
December 16, 2024
True rehabilitation
Down To Earth

True rehabilitation

Residents of Madhya Pradesh's Kakdi village take relocation as an opportunity to undertake afforestation, develop sustainable practices

time-read
2 mins  |
December 16, 2024
INESCAPABLE THREAT
Down To Earth

INESCAPABLE THREAT

Chemical pollution is the most underrated and underreported risk of the 21st century that threatens all species and regions

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 16, 2024
THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO
Down To Earth

THAT NIGHT, 40 YEARS AGO

Bhopal gas disaster is a tragedy that people continue to face

time-read
8 mins  |
December 16, 2024
A JOKE, INDEED
Down To Earth

A JOKE, INDEED

A CONFERENCE OF IRRESPONSIBLE PARTIES THAT CREATED AN OPTICAL ILLUSION TO THE REALITY OF A NEW CLIMATE

time-read
10+ mins  |
December 01, 2024
THINGS FALL APART
Down To Earth

THINGS FALL APART

THE WORLD HAS MADE PROGRESS IN MITIGATING EMISSIONS AND ADAPTING TO CLIMATE IMPACTS. BUT THE PROGRESS REMAINS GROSSLY INADEQUATE

time-read
4 mins  |
December 01, 2024