Union Minister for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Shri Bhupender Yadav visited the Great Indian Bustard habitat at Naliya in Kachchh district, Gujarat on September 14, 2026, to review conservation efforts for the endangered species. The Minister was accompanied by Gujarat Cabinet Minister Shri Arjun Modhwadia and senior officials from MoEFCC, Gujarat Forest Department, Wildlife Institute of India, and Border Security Force, along with local community members and beneficiaries of afforestation initiatives.
During the visit, Shri Yadav inaugurated the Soft Release Centre for Great Indian Bustard, which is equipped with infrastructure designed to support conservation, monitoring, and gradual adaptation of GIBs to the natural environment. The Minister was briefed on significant conservation achievements including restoration of approximately 11 square kilometers of grassland infested with invasive Prosopis juliflora, raising of 30 kilometers of predator-proof fencing covering 15 square kilometers, and the successful 'jump-start' intervention where infertile eggs from wild GIB females were replaced with viable eggs from the conservation breeding programme, resulting in a chick surviving beyond the critical first three months in the wild.
Shri Yadav flagged off 33 new patrolling and rescue vehicles for forest and wildlife conservation efforts that will be deployed across various divisions under the Kachchh Forest Circle for protection, development, monitoring, and quick-response activities. The Minister also visited the Hariyalu Gram plantation in Sayara where he inaugurated the Sayara Van Kavach initiative developed over a 9.46 square kilometer site using the Miyawaki method of dense, multi-layered afforestation. The Van Kavach comprises over 10,000 saplings across 47 native species suited to saline, low-water conditions and is expected to lower local temperatures by 1.5–2°C, aid groundwater recharge, prevent soil erosion, and provide natural habitat for wildlife.
At Jakhau, the Minister undertook mangrove plantation alongside approximately 50 BSF personnel and 50 local residents, and reviewed the mangrove nursery and seaweed seed bank. Under the MISHTI (Mangrove Initiative for Shoreline Habitats & Tangible Incomes) programme, mangrove plantation has been completed over 27,652 hectares against a cumulative target of 29,250 hectares for 2023–24 to 2026–27, including 12,450 hectares in the Kori Creek area. Approximately 3.49 lakh mangrove seedlings have been raised at the Jakhau Mangrove Nursery, representing a comprehensive model of mangrove conservation combining large-scale plantation, nurseries, biodiversity conservation, innovative tidal technology, renewable energy, community participation and sustainable livelihoods.