Andaman Smoothhound, Himalayan Fritillary amongst 29 new threatened species in India: IUCN

White-cheeked Dancing Frog, Andaman Smoothhound shark and Yellow Himalayan Fritillary are amongst 29 new species assessed in India which might be underneath risk, in keeping with the newest replace to the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List unveiled throughout the COP15 biodiversity convention right here in Canada.

The newest replace warns {that a} barrage of threats together with unlawful and unsustainable fishing, air pollution, local weather change and ailments is destroying sea species such because the Andaman Smoothhound shark.

The IUCN Red List unveiled on Friday is a vital indicator of the well being of the state of the world’s biodiversity. It supplies details about the worldwide extinction threat standing of species—and is a key software to assist outline and inform conservation targets.

Over 15,000 scientists and specialists from all over the world are a part of the IUCN Commission. They discovered 1,355 of over 9,472 species of crops, animals, and fungi throughout India’s land, freshwater, and seas assessed for the Red List are thought-about to be underneath risk, classed as critically endangered, endangered, or susceptible to extinction.

According to the information shared by IUCN, 239 new species analysed in India have entered the record. Of these, 29 are threatened.

“Today’s IUCN Red List update reveals a perfect storm of unsustainable human activity decimating marine life around the globe. As the world looks to the ongoing UN biodiversity conference to set the course for nature recovery, we simply cannot afford to fail,” mentioned Bruno Oberle, IUCN Director General, on the fifteenth Conference of Parties to the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD COP15).

Delegates from 196 nations, together with India, have gathered right here in Montreal, Canada for a two-week convention from December 7-19, to undertake the post-2020 Global Biodiversity Framework, a landmark settlement to halt and reverse nature loss by 2030.

“We urgently need to address the linked climate and biodiversity crises, with profound changes to our economic systems, or we risk losing the crucial benefits the oceans provide us with,” Bruno mentioned throughout a press convention right here.

According to IUCN, the white-cheeked Dancing Frog (Micrixalus candidus), which has entered the Red List as endangered, is barely recognized from a small vary with an extent of incidence of 167 sq. kilometers (km2) within the Western Ghats of Karnataka, a biodiversity hotspot.

“It is considered to be uncommon. Its habitat is threatened by the conversion of forest to areca nut and coffee plantations,” it mentioned.

“As per the published research papers and reports, 30 per cent of dancing frogs are found to live in the regions that are not protected by the government,” mentioned Dr Sumit Dookia, Wildlife Biologist & Faculty, GGS Indraprastha University, New Delhi.

“They are endangered with extinction due to loss of their habitat, pollution, changes in temperature, diseases, pests, invasive species among others,” Dr. Dookia informed PTI.

The Andaman Smoothhound (Mustelus andamanensis) has been included within the Red List as Vulnerable. This not too long ago described shark is discovered within the Andaman Sea within the Eastern Indian Ocean off the coast of Myanmar, Thailand, and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

It is topic to fishing strain throughout its spatial and depth vary. It is taken as a bycatch in industrial and artisanal fisheries with a number of fishing gears together with trawl, longline, and gillnet, IUCN mentioned.

“A small fish, discovered in April 2021 as new to science —Andaman Smoothhound—is facing the risk of extinction due to overfishing,” mentioned Dr. Dookia.

“Growing demand for fish and fish meat is a major reason. This new species is currently only known from the Andaman Sea and endemic to India,” he added.

The Yellow Himalayan Fritillary plant (Fritillaria cirrhosa), which has been included within the Red List as Vulnerable, is generally discovered within the Himalayas. It happens in Bhutan, China, India, Myanmar, Nepal and Pakistan.

In the Indian Himalayas, the species is threatened as a result of unorganised harvest, over-extraction, unsustainable and untimely harvesting of bulbs, coupled with unlawful hidden markets, in keeping with the information.

Dr. Dookia famous that over the previous couple of years, a speedy decline has been reported and raised excessive conservation considerations on the speedy inhabitants decline of Fritillaria cirrhosa within the Western Himalayas.

“Harvested and traded with a new trade name i.e., ‘Jangli lehsun’ probably to disguise common Allium species, the species is facing tremendous decline in wild populations due to its illegal harvesting and trade in Himachal Pradesh,” he mentioned.

Climate change modelling predicts a future decline within the species’ geographic distribution, IUCN mentioned.

Dr. Dookia mentioned all three species present in three distinctive ecosystems are pushed in direction of the extinction threat class as a result of over-harvesting and climatic occasions in the previous couple of many years.

“As of now, the government does not have any policy to conserve these species. The recent IUCN’s assessment will alarm the bells and hopefully, attention of global and national policymakers will be attracted to formulate the conservation plans,” he added.

The IUCN Red List now consists of 150,388 species, of which 42,108 are threatened with extinction. Over 1,550 of the 17,903 marine animals and crops assessed are liable to extinction, with local weather change impacting a minimum of 41% of threatened marine species, in keeping with the IUCN assertion.

For occasion, globally, populations of dugongs—giant herbivorous marine mammals—and 44% of all abalone shellfish species have entered the IUCN Red List as threatened with extinction.

Data exhibits the pillar coral has deteriorated to Critically Endangered as a result of amassed pressures.

“The awful status of these species should shock us and engage us for urgent action,” mentioned Professor Amanda Vincent, Chair of the IUCN SSC Marine Conservation Committee.

“These magical marine species are treasured wildlife, from the wonderful abalone to the charismatic dugong and the glorious pillar coral, and we should safeguard them accordingly. It is vital that we manage fisheries properly, constrain climate change and reverse habitat degradation,” Ms. Vincent added.

In October this 12 months, the findings from WWF’s Living Planet Report (LPR) had been equally grim. It discovered that wildlife populations have seen a devastating 69% drop on common since 1970—a biodiversity disaster that specialists classify because the sixth mass extinction.

The report warned governments, companies and the general public to take pressing and transformative motion to reverse the destruction of biodiversity.