Endangered Species in India

Endangered Species in India: Biodiversity Loss and Conservation Concerns

Introduction

An introduction to “Endangered Species in India” India is home to an extraordinary range of wildlife, thanks to its diverse ecosystems and unique geography.

However, this rich biodiversity is under increasing threat due to habitat destruction, climate change, and human activities. This blog post explores the scientific and conservation concerns surrounding endangered species in India.

Understanding endangered species is vital for students, researchers, conservationists, and policy makers. It highlights the urgency of protecting these animals and maintaining ecological balance.

In this excerpt, we delve into what makes a species endangered, factors contributing to extinction, and examples of India’s most threatened mammals.

If you’re interested in ecology, conservation biology, or the impact of biodiversity loss, this comprehensive look into endangered species in India is for you.

Let’s explore how biodiversity is being affected and why the conservation of endangered species must become a national priority.

ENDANGERED SPECIES

Bio-Diversity

“Biodiversity is a short form of biological diversity. In simple terms biodiversity is the total number of genes, species and ecosystems of a region.

It includes (i) genetic diversity, (ii) species diversity and (iii) ecosystem diversity.

Plants and animals constitute only a small component of biodiversity. The invisible micro-organisms constitute a large component of bio-diversity.

Genes: The basic biological unit of heredity. Genes of an individual belonging to the same species are similar and genes control the characteristics of particular species.

Species: A group of very similar having some common characteristics or qualities and capable of interbreeding.”

Ecosystem Diversity

“Ecosystem – Any segment of the landscape that includes biotic (living) and abiotic (non-living) components is known as ecosystem.”

Status of Biodiversity in India

“Biodiversity increases as we move from the poles towards the equator. Due to the position on world map, India has such rich biodiversity. Although India has only 2.42% of the world’s land area but its contribution to the world’s biodiversity is approximately 8% of the total number of species which is estimated to be 1.75 million (As per Global Biodiversity Assessment of UNEP of 1995).

6% of the world species are found in India. 45000 plants species comprising about 12% of world’s flora are found in Indian forests.

Two of the twelve biodiversity hotspots in the world are in India. They are the North-Eastern region and the Western Ghats.

A biodiversity hotspot is a region with a high level of endemic species.

Endemic species are those species that are found in a certain limited area.”

Significance of Biodiversity

“Biodiversity is fundamental to the existence of life on the earth. Its significance cannot be underestimated.

There are varieties of living things that exist in a given physical environment. These are interdependent and interrelated in the form of an ecosystem.

The nature of vegetation in any area determines the animal life. When the vegetation of a place is altered, animal life also changes and simultaneously it affects mankind.

Loss of any component in the system adversely affects other components of the system.

We are an integral part of the ecosystem. By cutting trees and killing animals, human beings lead to ecological imbalance ecosystem. We must understand that all plants and animals in an area are interdependent and interrelated in their physical environment.”

Causes of Loss of Biodiversity

“Increasing population and changing lifestyle leads to extenssive commercial exploitation of the natural resources. This results in loss of biodiversity. Consequently it is adversely affecting the ability of the nature to continue delivering the goods and services for human existence.

The loss of biodiversity affects not only the physical environment but also the social, cultural, religious and spiritual well being of human life. United Nations had proclaimed the year 2010, the International Year of Biodiversity.

According to IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature), by 2010 around 18,788 species out of 52,017 so far assessed are threatened with extinction. Of the world’s 5,490 mammals, 78 are extinct, 188 critically endangered, 540 endangered and 492 vulnerable.

Amphibians are also in danger of extinction, 1,895 of the planet’s 6,285, are the most threatened group of species. Extinction of individual species, destruction of natural habitats, land-use conversions, climate change, pollution and degradation is continuing at an alarming rate.

The five largest mass die-offs in which 50–95% of species were eliminated occurred during the Ordovician [490–443 million years ago (mya)], Devonian (417–354 mya), Permian (299–250 mya), Triassic (251–200 mya), and Cretaceous (146–64 mya) periods.

Most recently, human actions especially over the past two centuries have precipitated a global extinction crisis or the ‘‘sixth great extinction wave’’ comparable to the previous five. Increasing human populations over the last 50,000 years or so have left measurable negative footprints on biodiversity.”

Extinction Vulnerability

“Certain life-history, behavioral, morphological, and physiological characteristics appear to make some species more susceptible than others to the extinction drivers described above.

In general, large-sized species with a restricted distribution that demonstrate habitat specialization tend to be at greater risk of extinction from human agency than others within their respective taxa (e.g., Javan rhinoceros, Rhinoceros sondaicus), especially to processes such as rapid habitat loss.

Because of their high habitat specificity and/or low population densities, rare species may be more prone to extinction than common species. The size of a species’ range is also a major determinant of its extinction proneness.

Small ranges may make species more vulnerable to stochastic perturbations, even if local abundance is high; for example, proportionally more passerines (perching birds) with relatively small geographic ranges in the Americas are at risk of extinction than their more widely distributed counterparts.

Such trends are worrisome because those species with shrinking ranges as a result of adverse human activities become particularly vulnerable to other drivers such as climate change.

Habitat loss also reduces the patch sizes necessary for species requiring large home ranges, making them vulnerable to extinction from a loss of subpopulation connectedness, reduced dispersal capacity, and the ensuing lower population viability.

Larger-bodied vertebrates are considered to be more extinction-prone than smaller-bodied ones when the threatening process unfolds rapidly or intensely. Indeed, threatened mammals are an order of magnitude heavier than non threatened ones.

A common explanation for this trend is that body size is inversely correlated with population size, making large-bodied animals less abundant and more vulnerable to chronic environmental perturbations (while being buffered against short-term environmental fluctuations).

The extinction proneness of large-bodied animals to human activities is further enhanced because of other correlated traits, such as their requirement of large area, greater food intake, high habitat specificity, and lower reproductive rate.

Large species can also be more vulnerable to human persecution such as hunting, whereas smaller species are generally more vulnerable to habitat loss.

Although extinctions are a normal part of evolution, human modifications to the planet in the last few centuries, and perhaps even millennia, have greatly accelerated the rate at which extinctions occur.

Habitat loss remains the main driver of extinctions, but it may act synergistically with other drivers such as overharvesting and pollution, and, in the future, climate change.

Large-bodied species, rare species, and habitat specialists are particularly prone to extinction as a result of rapid human modifications of the planet. Extinctions can disrupt vital ecological processes such as pollination and seed dispersal, leading to cascading losses, ecosystem collapse, and a higher extinction rate overall.”

“What are your thoughts on this research? Share them in the comments below to join the discussion.”

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