Chhattisgarh Blackbuck Translocation Initiative

Key Facts

  • Chhattisgarh will translocate 50 blackbucks from Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary to Gomarda Wildlife Sanctuary.
  • Gomarda lost blackbuck locally in the 1970s due to hunting, poaching, encroachment and development.
  • The move is a conservation translocation/reintroduction aimed at restoring the species in its former range.

About the Sanctuaries

Barnawapara Wildlife Sanctuary

  • Located in Chhattisgarh; terrain is undulating with low hillocks.
  • Vegetation: teak, sal and mixed forests.
  • Balamdehi River forms its western boundary; Jonk River lies along its north-eastern side; both are tributaries of the Mahanadi.
  • Fauna: gaur, chital, sambar, nilgai and wild boar; its successful blackbuck population is now the source for the Gomarda reintroduction.

Gomarda Wildlife Sanctuary

  • Located near Sarangarh, Chhattisgarh.
  • Features dry deciduous forests, rolling hills, grasslands, reservoirs and waterfalls.
  • These features are favourable for blackbuck restoration.

About Blackbuck

  • Scientific name: Antilope cervicapra.
  • A diurnal, grassland antelope native to the Indian subcontinent.
  • Males have distinctive spiral horns and a dark upper body.
  • Prefers open grasslands and plains; primarily a grazer, but browses when grass is scarce.
  • Gestation period: about six months; can breed throughout the year.

Conservation Threats and Protection

  • Habitat loss, hunting and disturbance remain key threats.
  • Fawns are particularly vulnerable to predation by free-ranging dogs and jackals.
  • Legal protection: Schedule I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972, the highest level of protection.

Significance for UPSC

  • Illustrates in-situ conservation and species reintroduction as tools for biodiversity recovery.
  • Highlights habitat suitability, predator-prey dynamics and human-wildlife conflict in conservation planning.
  • Relevant to GS Paper 3: Environment, ecology, biodiversity and conservation.

Way Forward

  • Monitor the translocated population, manage grassland habitats and reduce threats from free-ranging dogs, poaching and habitat disturbance.
  • Community participation and corridor management can improve long-term survival of the species.