4 Indian species on IUCN threatened list

(Great Indian Bustard)

(Gooty Tarantula)

(Batagur Buska)

(White Bellied Heron)

There is bad news for conservationists and wildlife lovers. Four Indian species figure in a list of the hundred most threatened species of the world.

The list, compiled by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and the Zoological Society of London, includes the Great Indian Bustard, Gooty Tarantula, a species of poisonous spider, Batagur Buska, a rare species of turtle and the White Bellied Heron.

Serious concern was raised on the plight of the gravely endangered species of the country by certain members of National Board For Wildlife (NBWL) during the recent meeting chaired by the PM. They had drawn attention on the unsatisfactory status of Special Programme for Recovery of Critically Endangered Species, calling for its effective implementation at ground level.

The IUCN list has highlighted the plight of such endangered species that have not received adequate attention from the respective Governments. The Gooty Tarantula known for its vibrant blue shade was once found in abundance in Ooty, Tamil Nadu. The list further states that there are only from 50 to 249 Great Indian Bustards left today, that were once very common in Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan and Karnataka.

“The four species lack the charisma of bigger endangered animals like tigers. But the disappearance of the four species is of concern as all four once occurred in great abundance in India,” pointed out Asad Rahmani, NBWL member and noted ornithologist.

Rahmani pointed out that during the 4th meeting of the NBWL way back in November 2007, a resolution was passed to prepare recovery plans by States for 16 such critically endangered species. But this procedure has not met with the requirement for various reasons like inadequate funding, unprofessionally prepared plans and no mechanism either to supervise or monitor the implementation of the plan, he said.

Wildlife expert MK Ranjitsinh pointed to the meagre allocation of the Government for conservation of endangered species to mere  `73.50 crores in the current financial year, of which the expenditure so far has been less than 14 crores.

This is a meagre amount to protect the last remaining habitats of India’s most critically endangered species such as the Jerdon’s Courser, Great Indian Bustard, Snow Leopard, Kashmir Stag and  Manipur Deer. In sharp contrast, the allocation for tiger reserves is `167.70 crores during the current financial year, he added.