NEWS

Critically endangered Indian

India has a staggering variety of flora Table 1. species of and fauna, including some of the rarest Birds species on the planet. According to the Jerdon’s Courser, Rhinoptilus bitorquatus 2011 quantitative evaluation done by the Forest Owlet, Heteroglaux blewitti International Union for Conservation of White-bellied Heron, Ardea insignis Nature (IUCN), there are 57 critically White-backed Vulture, Gyps bengalensis endangered species of animals in India1. Slender-billed Vulture, Gyps tenuirostris According to the IUCN conservation Long-billed Vulture, Gyps indicus status, animals are primarily divided into Red-headed Vulture, Sarcogyps calvus three main categories: lower risk, threat- Bengal Florican, Houbaropsis bengalensis ened and extinct. These three categories Himalayan Quail, Ophrysia superciliosa are again divided into sub-categories, Pink-headed Duck, Rhodonessa caryophyllacea Sociable Lapwing, Vanellus gregarious e.g. the lower risk category is divided Spoon-Billed Sandpiper, Eurynorhynchus pygmeus into least concern, near threatened and Siberian Crane, Grus leucogeranus conservation-dependent; the threatened category is divided into vulnerable, en- dangered and the critically endangered, Pygmy Hog, Porcula salvania and the extinct category is divided into Andaman White-toothed Shrew, Crocidura andamanensis extinct in the wild and extinct (http:// Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew, Crocidura enkinsi Nicobar White-tailed Shrew, Crocidura nicobarica en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Critically_Endang Kondana Rat, kondana ered). Critically endangered is the high- Elvira Rat, elvira est risk category assigned by the IUCN Namdapha Flying , biswasi Red List for wild species. Critically en- Malabar Civet, Viverra civettina dangered means that the number of a Sumatran Rhinoceros, Dicerorhinus sumatrensis given species has decreased, or will de- Javan Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros sondaicus crease by 80% within three generations2. Amphibians On a broad scale, a taxon is critically Anamalai Flying Frog, Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus endangered when the best available evi- Gundia Indian Frog, Indirana gundia dence indicates that it meets any of the Kerala Indian Frog, Indirana phrynoderma following criteria: populations have de- Charles Darwin’s Frog, Ingerana charlesdarwini clined or will decrease by greater than Kottigehar Bubble-nest Frog, Micrixalus kottigeharensis 80% over the last 10 years or three gen- Amboli Bush Frog, Pseudophilautus amboli erations; have a restricted geographical Chalazodes Bubble-nest Frog, Raorchestes chalazodes range; small population size of less than Reptiles 250 individuals and continuous decline at Gharial, Gavialis gangeticus 25% in 3 years or one generation, and Hawksbill Turtle, Eretmochelys imbricate very small or restricted population of Leatherback Turtle, Dermochelys coriacea fewer than 50 mature individuals and a Four-toed River Terrapin, Batagur baska high probability of extinction in the wild. Bengal Roof Turtle, Batagur kachuga The main reasons behind the threat to Sispara Day Gecko, Cnemaspis sisparensis the animals are human disturbance, Spiders modification, degradation and loss of Rameshwaram Parachute Spider, Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica habitat, illegal hunting, pesticide pollu- Peacock Tarantula, Poecilotheria metallica tion, drastic weather changes, natural disasters like tsunami and disturbance Corals Fire corals, Millepora boschmai from tourism and recreational activities. The Ministry of Environment and For- Fish ests (MoEF), Government of India, in Pondicherry Shark, Carcharhinus hemiodon collaboration with the Zoological Survey Ganges Shark, Glyphis gangeticus of India released a comprehensive docu- Knife-tooth Sawfish, Anoxypristis cuspidate ment on critically endangered animal Large-tooth Sawfish, Pristis microdon species of the country on 9 March 2011. Narrow-snout Sawfish, Pristis zijsron Jairam Ramesh, Minister of MoEF said, ‘There is so far a paucity of information for the general public on the status, bio- India catalogues and shares information among people from all walks of life and logy and major threats to the endangered on these species, presented in a concise strengthen our efforts at conservation.’ species of our country. This booklet on and visually appealing format. This Out of 57 critically endangered spe- critically endangered animal species of booklet will raise the level of awareness cies, MoEF has taken up interventions

1608 CURRENT SCIENCE, VOL. 100, NO. 11, 10 JUNE 2011 NEWS for nine species and their respective schemes. One of the components under addition, there are many other species habitats. Recovery programmes are the Integrated Development of Wildlife that have been assigned as data deficient ongoing for the Leatherback turtles and Habitats provides recovery programmes and not listed in any of these categories. marine ecosystems, Malabar Civet and to save critically endangered species and More studies are needed to obtain basic low elevation moist forests of the west their habitats. The preparation of recov- information to assess the status of these coast, floricans and grasslands, four spe- ery plans involves assessing the current species3. cies of critically endangered vultures, status of species and preparation of a and the Jerdon’s Courser. The first meet- year-wise five-year plan in collaboration ing of the National Tri-State Coordina- with a reputed scientific institution. 1. Report, Ministry of Environment and For- tion Committee for the Conservation of There is an urgent need to better un- ests (MoEF), Government of India and Zoological Survey of India, March 2011. the Gharial was held recently, and a re- derstand the ecological needs of the other 2. Black, R., BBC News, 1 September 2005. covery programme is being formulated critically endangered species in India and 3. Press Brief, MoEF, Government of India, by leading wildlife scientists across the design relevant scientific conservation 9 March 2011. country. interventions. For instance, the Chala- Project Tiger, Project Elephant and zodes Bubble-nest Frog (Raorchestes Integrated Development of Wildlife chalazodes) was recently re-discovered Jaimini Sarkar (S. Ramaseshan Fellow). Habitats are three centrally sponsored after 135 years in February 2011. In e-mail: [email protected]

Lights and shades of science

To celebrate the unique amalgamation of of science and technology with fresh Shri R. R. Mehta Educational Trust and science and art in the medium of photo- eyes, so that a ‘visual dialogue’ could be supported by the National Council for graphy, and to look at the complex world initiated, an exhibition was organized by Science and Technology Communication and the Department of Science and Technology, Government of India. The exhibition, held at the All India Fine Arts and Crafts Society in New Delhi, is a re- sult of the only national science photo- graphy contest in India. Apart from the first three prizes, 10 consolation prizes in each category were also awarded (Figure 1) during the inau- guration ceremony on 9 April 2011, pre- sided over by K. Kasturirangan.

Figure 1. First prize in different categories: In the ‘Science in action’ category to Bhu- Manupriya (S. Ramaseshan Fellow). pesh C. Little for his ‘caterpillar question’; in the ‘Science as art’ category to Mohan Gid- e-mail: [email protected] wani for his ‘A fine balance’; in the ‘Science close-up’ category to Baburajan Thekkan for his picture of the compound eyes of a dragonfly; in the ‘Concepts’ category to Akhtar Hussain for his ‘Love tarnished’, and in the ‘Science and society’ category to Vudimudi Peddiraju for his ‘Wherever you go’.

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