From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: New Species and New Records 2023
Mains level: Not Much
Central Idea
India’s faunal database expands with the addition of 664 animal species in 2022.
The database also includes 339 new plant taxa, comprising new species and distributional records.
Report- New Species and New Records 2023
The faunal discoveries have been compiled in a publication by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) titled “Animal Discoveries – New Species and New Records 2023.”
[A] Faunal Discoveries
Major discoveries include new species and records of mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish.
Mammals: Three new species and one new record, including two species of bats from Meghalaya.
Birds: Two new records, such as the yellow-rumped flycatcher in the Andaman archipelago.
Reptiles: Thirty new species and two new records.
Amphibians: Six new species and one new record.
Fish: Twenty-eight new species and eight new records.
Invertebrates constitute the majority of new faunal discoveries, with insects comprising 384 species.
Vertebrates account for 81 species, with fish being the most dominant group.
Notable species
Sela macaque (Macaca selai): A new macaque species discovered in Arunachal Pradesh.
Macaca leucogenys: A white-cheeked macaque sighted in India for the first time.
Glischropus meghalayanus: A bamboo-dwelling bat species from Meghalaya.
Ficedula zanthopygia: The yellow-rumped flycatcher recorded in the Andaman archipelago.
Distribution of New Faunal Discoveries
The fauna diversity of the country increased to 1,03,922 species.
Kerala: Recorded the maximum number of new species, accounting for 14.6% of all new discoveries.
Karnataka: Followed with 13.2% of new species and records.
Tamil Nadu: Contributed 12.6% of all new discoveries and records.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands: Accounted for about 8.4% of the discoveries.
West Bengal: Represented 7.6% of the new discoveries.
Arunachal Pradesh: Contributes 5.7% of the new discoveries.
[B] Floral Discoveries
The Botanical Survey of India (BSI) published “Plant Discoveries 2022,” which includes 339 new plant taxa.
These discoveries consist of new species and distributional records.
The discoveries encompass seed plants, fungi, lichen, algae, bryophytes, microbes, and pteridophytes.
Seed plants comprise the majority, with dicotyledons contributing 73% and monocotyledons 27%.
Western Himalayas and Western Ghats are prominent regions for plant discoveries.
Kerala recorded the highest number of plant discoveries (57), accounting for 16.8% of all discoveries.
The plant discoveries include wild relatives of potential horticultural, agricultural, medicinal, and ornamental plants.
Notable Floral Discoveries
Nandadevia Pusalkar: A genus common in the Uttarakhand Himalayas.
Nilgiriella Pusalkar: An endemic genus found in the southern Western Ghats.
Calanthe lamellosa: An orchid species recorded for the first time in India, found in Nagaland.
Conclusion
By compiling these new discoveries and records, India continues to expand its knowledge of its faunal and floral diversity, emphasizing the importance of conservation efforts.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: IUCN
Mains level: Not Much
Three medicinal plant species found in the Himalayas have made it to IUCN Red List of Threatened Species following a recent assessment.
Species assessed-
Meizotropis pellita : ‘Critically Endangered’
Fritilloria cirrhosa : ‘Vulnerable’
Dactylorhiza hatagirea : ‘Endangered’
(1) Meizotropis pellita
Commonly known as Patwa, is a perennial shrub with restricted distribution that is endemic to Uttarakhand.
The species is listed as ‘critically endangered’ based on its limited area of occupancy (less than 10 sq. km)
The species is threatened by deforestation, habitat fragmentation and forest fires.
The essential oil extracted from the leaves of the species possesses strong antioxidants and can be a promising natural substitute for synthetic antioxidants in pharmaceutical industries.
(2) Fritillaria cirrhosa
Also called, Himalayan fritillary, it is a perennial bulbous herb.
It is reasonable to conclude a decline of at least 30% of its population over the assessment period (22 to 26 years).
Considering the rate of decline, long generation length, poor germination potential, high trade value, extensive harvesting pressure and illegal trade, the species is listed as ‘vulnerable’.
In China, the species is used for the treatment of bronchial disorders and pneumonia.
The plant is also a strong cough suppressant and source of expectorant drugs in traditional Chinese medicine.
(3) Dactylorhiza hatagirea
Known as Salampanja, it is threatened by habitat loss, livestock grazing, deforestation, and climate change.
It is extensively used in Ayurveda, Siddha, Unani and other alternative systems of medicine to cure dysentery, gastritis, chronic fever, cough and stomach aches.
It is a perennial tuberous species endemic to the Hindu Kush and Himalayan ranges of Afghanistan, Bhutan, China, India, Nepal, and Pakistan.
Back2Basics:IUCN Red List
The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species founded in 1964, has evolved to become the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species.
It uses a set of criteria to evaluate the extinction risk of thousands of all species and subspecies.
A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit.
The IUCN aims to have the category of every species re-evaluated every five years if possible, or at least every ten years.
For plants, the 1997 Red List is the most important source.
The formally stated goals of the Red List are-
to provide scientifically based information on the status of species and subspecies at a global level,
to draw attention to the magnitude and importance of threatened biodiversity,
to influence national and international policy and decision-making, and
to provide information to guide actions to conserve biological diversity.
Red List Categories of IUCN
Species are classified by the IUCN Red List into nine groups specified through criteria such as rate of decline, population size, area of geographic distribution, and degree of population and distribution fragmentation. They are:
Extinct (EX) – beyond reasonable doubt that the species is no longer extant.
Extinct in the wild (EW) – survives only in captivity, cultivation and/or outside native range, as presumed after exhaustive surveys.
Critically endangered (CR) – in a particularly and extremely critical state.
Endangered (EN) – very high risk of extinction in the wild, meets any of criteria A to E for Endangered.
Vulnerable (VU) – meets one of the 5 red list criteria and thus considered to be at high risk of unnatural (human-caused) extinction without further human intervention.
Near threatened (NT) – close to being at high risk of extinction in the near future.
Least concern (LC) – unlikely to become extinct in the near future.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Great Indian Bustard
Mains level: Not Much
The Supreme Court sought the government’s response about evolving a ‘Project Great Indian Bustard’ conservation program like the ‘Project Tiger’ to bring attention to the peril faced by the critically endangered bird species.
Great Indian Bustards
GIBs are the largest among the four bustard species found in India, the other three being MacQueen’s bustard, lesser florican, and the Bengal florican.
GIBs’ historic range included much of the Indian sub-continent but it has now shrunken to just 10 percent of it. Among the heaviest birds with flight, GIBs prefer grasslands as their habitats.
GIBs are considered the flagship bird species of grassland.
On the brink of extinction
The GIB population in India had fallen to just 150.
Pakistan is also believed to host a few GIBs and yet openly supports their hunting.
Protection accorded
Birdlife International: uplisted from Endangered to Critically Endangered (2011)
Protection under CITES: Appendix I
IUCN status: Critically Endangered
Protection under Wildlife (Protection) Act: Schedule I
Threats
Overhead power transmission
Poor vision: Due to their poor frontal vision, can’t detect powerlines in time and their weight makes in-flight quick maneuvers difficult.
Windmills: Coincidentally, Kutch and Thar desert are the places that have witnessed the creation of huge renewable energy infrastructure.
Noise pollution: Noise affects the mating and courtship practices of the GIB.
Changes in the landscape: by way of farmers cultivating their land, which otherwise used to remain fallow due to frequent droughts in Kutch.
Cultivation changes: Cultivation of cotton and wheat instead of pulses and fodder are also cited as reasons for falling GIB numbers.
Supreme Court’s intervention
The Supreme Court has ordered that all overhead power transmission lines in core and potential GIB habitats in Rajasthan and Gujarat should be undergrounded.
The SC also formed a three-member committee to help power companies comply with the order.
Conservation measures
In 2015, the Central government launched the GIB species recovery program.
Under the program, the WII and Rajasthan Forest departments have jointly set up conservation breeding centers where GIB eggs are harvested from the wild.
They have been incubated artificially and hatchlings raised in a controlled environment.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Himalayan Langur
Mains level: Not Much
Differences in altitude make a primate species in the same Himalayan habitat choose between flowers and fruits as food options beyond their staple menu of leaves, a new study has revealed.
Himalayan Gray Langur
The Himalayan (Kashmir) Gray Langur or the Chamba Sacred Langur (Semnopithecus ajax) is a colobine, meaning leaf-eating monkey.
It is considered an endangered species in IUCN red list.
According to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, the langur is a protected species under Schedule II.
Globally, its population is estimated to be less than 1,500 mature individuals in 15-20 groups.
Protection measures
The Gray Langur was once considered a sub-species of the Semnopithecus entellus, commonly known as the Bengal Sacred Langur or Hanuman Langur, but it was separated as a species in 2005.
Two protected habitats of the species namely Machiara National Park and Dachigam National Park are located in politically disturbed areas.
Machiara National park is in Pak-Occupied Kashmir where there is very little scope for scientific inputs.
Try this PYQ:
Q.Which one of the following groups of animals belongs to the category of endangered species?
(a) Great Indian Bustard, Musk Deer, Red Panda, Asiatic Wild Ass
(b) Kashmir Stag, Cheetah, Blue Bull, Great Indian Bustard.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Indian Rhino
Mains level: Not Much
The horns of rhinoceroses may have become smaller over time from the impact of hunting, according to a recent study spanning more than five centuries.
About Indian Rhino
The Indian rhinoceros also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros and great Indian rhinoceros is a rhinoceros native to the Indian subcontinent.
It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and Schedule I animal in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
It once ranged across the entire northern part of the Indian Subcontinent, along the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra River basins, from Pakistan to the Indian-Myanmar border.
Poaching for rhinoceros horn became the single most important reason for the decline of the Indian rhino.
Why are Rhinos poached for horns?
Ground rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers, and also as an aphrodisiac.
In Vietnam, possessing a rhino horn is considered a status symbol.
Due to demand in these countries, poaching pressure on rhinos is ever persistent against which one cannot let the guard down.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Amur Falcon
Mains level: NA
The Amur falcons have begun to arrive in Manipur after travelling over 20,000 km.
Amur Falcon
The Amur falcon (Falco amurensis) is a small raptor of the falcon family.
It breeds in south-eastern Siberia and Northern China before migrating in large flocks across India and over the Arabian Sea to winter in Southern and East Africa.
How it migrates?
Locally known as Akhuipuina, the bird arrives mainly in Manipur and Nagaland on its southbound migration from breeding grounds in North China, Eastern Mongolia and far-east Russia.
They travel to Manipur en-route to its wintering grounds in South Africa.
The one-way journey via India is about 20,000 km long and the birds do this twice a year.
They spend three-four weeks in many parts of Manipur to build fat reserves by preying on termites that emerge around this time.
Conservation status
It is protected under the Wildlife Protection Act 1972 and included under its Schedule IV.
It is listed in the IUCN Red list as Least Concern.
Hunting of the birds or possessing its meat is punishable with imprisonment up to three years or a fine up to Rs 5,000.
In 2018, the forest department started a conservation programme by radio-tagging the birds to study their migratory route.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Gangetic Dolphin
Mains level: Not Much
Dolphins have started coming back to the Ganga with improvement in the quality of the river water made possible by the Namami Gange Programme.
About Gangetic Dolphin
The Gangetic river system is home to a vast variety of aquatic life, including the Gangetic dolphin (Platanista gangetica).
It is one of five species of river dolphin found around the world.
It is found mainly in the Indian subcontinent, particularly in Ganga-Brahmaputra-Meghna and Karnaphuli-Sangu river systems.
An adult dolphin could weigh between 70 kg and 90 kg. The breeding season of the Gangetic dolphin extends from January to June.
They feed on several species of fishes, invertebrates etc.
Threats to Gangetic dolphins
The construction of dams and barrages and increasing pollution has led to a decline in the population of aquatic animals in the rivers in general and of dolphins in particular.
Aquatic life is an indicator of the health of river ecosystems.
As the Gangetic dolphin is at the top of the food chain, protecting the species and its habitat will ensure
How are they conserved?
Although efforts to save them were started in the mid-1980s, the estimates suggest the numbers have not risen as a result.
The Gangetic dolphin remains listed as Endangered by the IUCN.
After the launch of Ganga Action Plan in 1985, the government on November 24, 1986, included Gangetic dolphins in the First Scheduleof the Indian Wildlife (Protection), Act 1972.
This was aimed at checking hunting and providing conservation facilities such as wildlife sanctuaries.
For instance, Vikramshila Ganges Dolphin Sanctuary was established in Bihar under this Act.
It has been recognized as National Aquatic Animal of India.
Policy moves for conservation
The government had prepared The Conservation Action Plan for the Ganges River Dolphin 2010-2020.
The National Mission for Clean Ganga celebrates October 5 as National Ganga River Dolphin Day.
There is also Project Dolphin on the lines of Project Tiger, which has helped increase the tiger population.
Try this PYQ:
Which one of the following is the national aquatic animal of India?
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Fishing Cats
Mains level: Not Much
The Chilika Lake, Asia’s largest brackish water lagoon, has 176 fishing cats, according to a census done by the Chilika Development Authority (CDA) in collaboration with the Fishing Cat Project (TFCP).
About Fishing Cats
About twice the size of a typical house cat, the fishing cat is a feline with a powerful build and stocky legs.
It is an adept swimmer and enters water frequently to prey on fish as its name suggests.
It is known to even dive to catch fish.
It is nocturnal and apart from fish also preys on frogs, crustaceans, snakes, birds, and scavenges on carcasses of larger animals.
It is capable of breeding all year round but in India its peak breeding season is known to be between March and May.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Endangered
CITES: Appendix II
Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule I
Various threats
One of the major threats facing the fishing cat is the destruction of wetlands, which is its preferred habitat.
As a result of human settlement, drainage for agriculture, pollution, and wood-cutting most of the wetlands in India are under threat of destruction.
Another threat to the fishing cat is the depletion of its main prey-fish due to unsustainable fishing practices.
It is also occasionally poached for its skin.
Back2Basics: Chilika Lake
Chilika Lake is a brackish water lagoon, spread over the Puri, Khurda and Ganjam districts of Odisha.
It is located at the mouth of the Daya River, flowing into the Bay of Bengal, covering an area of over 1,100 km2.
It is the largest coastal lagoon in India and the largest brackish water lagoon in the world after The New Caledonian barrier reef.
It has been listed Ramsar Site as well as a tentative UNESCO World Heritage site.
Its formation
The process of the formation of the Chilika might have begun in the latter part of the Pleistocene epoch, around 20,000 years ago.
India’s peninsular river Mahanadi carried a heavy load of silt and dumped part of it at its delta.
As the sediment-laden river met the Bay of Bengal, sand bars were formed near its mouth.
These created a backflow of the seawater into the sluggish fresh water at the estuary, resulting in the huge brackish water lake.
Marine archaeological studies on the Odisha coast clearly show that the Chilika once acted as a safe harbor for cargo ships bound for Southeast Asia and other parts of the world.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Posidonia Australis
Mains level: Not Much
The world’s largest plant has recently been discovered off the West Coast of Australia: a seagrass 180 km in length.
Posidonia australis
The ribbon weed, or Posidonia australis, has been discovered in Shark Bay by a group of researchers from Flinders University and The University of Western Australia.
These researchers have also found that the plant is 4,500 years old, is sterile, has double the number of chromosomes than other similar plants.
It has managed to survive the volatile atmosphere of the shallow Shark Bay.
So how remarkable is this plant’s size?
The ribbon weed covers an area of 20,000 hectares.
The next on the podium, the second largest plant, is the clonal colony of a quaking Aspen tree in Utah, which covers 43.6 hectares.
The largest tree in India, the Great Banyan in Howrah’s Botanical Garden, covers 1.41 hectares.
If it is so large, how come it has just been discovered?
The existence of the seagrass was known, that it is one single plant was not.
Researchers were interested in what they then thought was a meadow because they wanted to study its genetic diversity, and collect some parts for seagrass restoration.
How did it grow, and survive for, so long?
Sometime in the Harappan era, a plant took root in the Shark Bay.
Then it kept spreading through its rhizomes, overcoming everything in its way, and here we are today.
Ribbon weed rhizomes can usually grow to around 35cm per year, which is how the scientists arrived at its lifespan of 4,5000 years.
The researchers found that the ribbon weed cannot spread its seeds, something that helps plants overcome environmental threats.
Also, Shark Bay sees fluctuations in temperature and salinity and gets a lot of light, conditions challenging for any plant.
Ecological significance
Because seagrass performs a vital role in the environment, and if some of it is hardy, it is good news for everyone in a world threatened by climate change.
In India, seagrass is found in many coastal areas, most notably in Gulf of Mannar and Palk Strait.
Apart from being home to a variety of small organisms, seagrass trap sediments and prevent water from getting muddy, absorb carbon from the atmosphere, and prevent coastal erosion.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Sela Macaque, Sela Pass
Mains level: Not Much
A new species of old world monkey recorded from Arunachal Pradesh has been named after a strategic Sela pass at 13,700 ft above sea level.
Sela macaque (Macaca selai).
This new primate was identified and analysed by a team of experts from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the University of Calcutta.
Earlier it was called as White- Cheeked Macaque displaying white cheeks, long and thick hairs on the neck area, and a longer tail.
Their study has been published in the latest edition of Molecular Phylogenetics and Evolution.
Phylogenetics relate to the evolutionary development and diversification of a species or group of organisms.
The phylogenetic analysis revealed that the Sela macaque was geographically separated from the Arunachal macaque (Macaca munzala) of Tawang district by Sela.
This mountain pass acted as a barrier by restricting the migration of individuals of these two species for approximately two million years.
Protection status
It has NOT been yet included in the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 of India.
The potential threat to all species of macaques in the landscape is due to hunting by locals for consumption and habitat degradation due to urbanization and infrastructure development.
About Sela Pass
The Sela Pass is a high-altitude mountain pass located on the border between the Tawang and West Kameng districts in Arunachal Pradesh.
It has an elevation of 4170 m and connects the Indian Buddhist town of Tawang to Dirang and Guwahati.
The pass supports scarce amounts of vegetation and is usually snow-covered to some extent throughout the year.
While Sela Pass does get heavy snowfall in winters, it is usually open throughout the year unless landslides or snow require the pass to be shut down temporarily.
The strategically-significant Sela Tunnel project is now nearing completion well before the deadline.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Indian Tent Turtles
Mains level: Not Much
Indian tent turtle is now listed in Schedule –I of the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972 and is thereby provided the highest degree of protection.
Why in news?
The Indian tent turtle is threatened due to illegal mining in Narmada River.
This turtle has also been widely traded as a pet at aquariums.
Indian Tent Turtles
IUCN status: Least Concerned
The Indian tent turtle (Pangshura tentoria) is a species of turtle in the family Geoemydidae. The species is endemic to India and Bangladesh.
Its preferred habitats are freshwater rivers and swamps.
The species is native to India, Nepal and Bangladesh, with three subspecies recorded from the region viz., P. t. tentoria, P. t. circumdata and P. t. flaviventer.
t. tentoria occurs in peninsular India and is recorded from Orissa, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Assam and Madhya Pradesh.
t. circumdata occurs in the western tributaries of Ganga and the rivers of Gujarat. It is found in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Gujarat.
t. flaviventer occurs in the northern tributaries of Ganga and is recorded from Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Assam.
Back2Basics: Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972
WPA provides for the protection of the country’s wild animals, birds and plant species, in order to ensure environmental and ecological security.
It provides for the protection of a listed species of animals, birds and plants, and also for the establishment of a network of ecologically-important protected areas in the country.
It provides for various types of protected areas such as Wildlife Sanctuaries, National Parks etc.
There are six schedules provided in the WPA for protection of wildlife species which can be concisely summarized as under:
Schedule I:
These species need rigorous protection and therefore, the harshest penalties for violation of the law are for species under this Schedule.
Schedule II:
Animals under this list are accorded high protection. They cannot be hunted except under threat to human life.
Schedule III & IV:
This list is for species that are not endangered. This includes protected species but the penalty for any violation is less compared to the first two schedules.
Schedule V:
This schedule contains animals which can be hunted.
Schedule VI:
This list contains plants that are forbidden from cultivation.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Indian Rhino
Mains level: Not Much
The population of the greater one-horned or Indian rhinoceros in the Kaziranga National Park and Tiger Reserve has increased by 200 (from 2413 in 2018) in four years, the latest census of the flagship animal has revealed.
About Indian Rhino
The Indian rhinoceros also called the greater one-horned rhinoceros and great Indian rhinoceros is a rhinoceros native to the Indian subcontinent.
It is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List and Schedule I animal in the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
It once ranged across the entire northern part of the Indian Subcontinent, along the Indus, Ganges and Brahmaputra River basins, from Pakistan to the Indian-Myanmar border.
Poaching for rhinoceros horn became the single most important reason for the decline of the Indian rhino.
Why are Rhinos poached for horns?
Ground rhino horn is used in traditional Chinese medicine to cure a range of ailments, from cancer to hangovers, and also as an aphrodisiac.
In Vietnam, possessing a rhino horn is considered a status symbol.
Due to demand in these countries, poaching pressure on rhinos is ever persistent against which one cannot let the guard down.
Try this PYQ:
Q. Consider the following statements:
Asiatic lion is naturally found in India only.
Double-humped camel is naturally found in India only.
One-horned rhinoceros is naturally found in India only.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Olive Ridley Turtles
Mains level: Not Much
About 2.45 lakh Olive Ridley sea turtles crawled ashore on the Nasi-II beach of the Gahirmatha Marine Sanctuary along the Odisha coast for laying eggs, marking one of the largest opening day arrivals of turtles at the site.
Olive Ridley Turtles
The Olive Ridley Sea Turtle (Lepidochelys olivacea), also known as the Pacific ridley sea turtle, is a medium-sized species of sea turtle found in warm and tropical waters, primarily in the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
In the Indian Ocean, the majority of olive ridleys nest in two or three large groups at Rushikulya rookery near Gahirmatha in Odisha.
The coast of Odisha in India is the largest mass nesting site for the olive ridley, followed by the coasts of Mexico and Costa Rica.
The species is listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List, Appendix 1 in CITES, and Schedule 1 in Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.
Special feature: Mass nesting
They are best known for their behavior of synchronized nesting in mass numbers, termed Arribadas.
Interestingly, females return to the very same beach from where they first hatched, to lay their eggs.
They lay their eggs in conical nests about one and a half feet deep which they laboriously dig with their hind flippers.
They hatch in 45 to 60 days, depending on the temperature of the sand and atmosphere during the incubation period.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Koalas
Mains level: NA
Once found in abundance, Australia’s much-loved koalas have now been officially classified as ‘endangered’ after widespread bushfires, drought and land clearing destroyed much of their eucalyptus-rich habitat.
Koalas
IUCN Status: Vulnerable
According to fossil records, Koala species have inhabited parts of Australia for at least 25 million years, a WWF report states.
But today, only one species remains — the Phascolarctos cinereus.
They are found in the wild in the southeast and eastern sides of Australia — in coastal Queensland, New South Wales, South Australia and Victoria.
Threats to Koalas
Since Europeans first settled in the region, the Koala population has faced widespread habitat loss, particularly due to agriculture and the construction of urban settlements.
They survive on a strict diet of up to a kilogram of eucalyptus leaves every day.
Due to the low nutritional value of these leaves, koalas tend to sleep for extended periods, often up to 18 hours a day, to conserve energy.
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Endangered species in India
Mains level: NA
Neighbours of a golden langur habitat in western Assam’s Bongaigaon district have opposed a move by the State government to upgrade it to a wildlife sanctuary.
Kajoijana Bamuni Hill Wildlife Sanctuary
The Assam Forest Department has issued a preliminary notification for converting the 19.85 sq. km. patch of forest into the Kajoijana Bamuni Hill Wildlife Sanctuary.
It is one of the better-known homes of the golden langur (Trachypithecus geei) found only in Assam and Bhutan.
About Golden Langur
Gee’s golden langur (Trachypithecus geei), also known as simply the golden langur, is an Old World monkey.
It is found in a small region of Western Assam and in the neighboring foothills of the Black Mountains of Bhutan.
Long considered sacred by many Himalayan people, the golden langur was first brought to the attention of the western world by the naturalist Edward Pritchard Gee in the 1950s.
Adult males have a cream to golden coat with darker flanks while the females and juveniles are lighter.
It has a black face and a long tail up to 50 cm in length.
Its habitat
It lives in high trees and has a herbivorous diet of ripe and unripe fruits, mature and young leaves, seeds, buds and flowers.
The average group size is eight individuals, with a ratio of several females to each adult male.
It is one of the most endangered primate species of India and Bhutan.
Distribution
Its habitat is bounded on the south by the Brahmaputra River, on the east by the Manas River, on the west by the Sankosh River, in Assam and on the north by the Black Mountains of Bhutan.
Conservation status
IUCN Red List: Endangered
CITES: Appendix I
Wildlife Protection Act, 1972: Schedule I
Try this question from CSP 2014:
Q. Which one of the following groups of animals belongs to the category of endangered species?
(a) Great Indian Bustard, Musk Deer, Red Panda, Asiatic Wild Ass
(b) Kashmir Stag, Cheetah, Blue Bull, Great Indian Bustard
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Septemeranthus
Mains level: NA
A new genus of a parasitic flowering plant has recently been discovered from the Nicobar group of islands.
Septemeranthus
The genus Septemeranthus grows on the plant species Horsfieldia glabra (Blume) Warb.
The parasitic flowering plants have a modified root structure spread on the stem of the tree and are anchored inside the bark of the host tree.
It has a distinct vegetative morphology, inflorescence architecture and floral characters.
The leaves of the plant are heart-shaped with a very long tip and the ovary,fruit and seeds are ‘urceolate’ (earthen pot-shaped).
Birds consume viscous seeds of this new genus and seeds have potential of pseudo viviparous germination that deposit on the leaves and branches of their same plant which is already attached to host plants.
Key features
They need a host tree or shrub in order to thrive and exhibit a worldwide distribution in tropical as well as temperate habitats.
They are important in forest ecology, pathology and medicine.
They play an important role as they provide food for frugivorous birds.
Try this PYQ from CSP 2019:
Q.Recently, there was a growing awareness in our country about the importance of Himalayan nettle (Girardinia diversifolia) because it is found to be a sustainable source of
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Spot-billed Pelicans
Mains level: NA
A nematode infestation has led to mass mortality of spot-billed pelicans (Pelicanus philippensis) at Telineelapuram Important Bird Area (IBA) in Andhra Pradesh.
Spot-billed Pelicans
The spot-billed pelican (Pelecanus philippensis) or grey pelican is a member of the pelican family.
It breeds in southern Asia from southern Iran across India east to Indonesia.
It is a bird of large inland and coastal waters, especially large lakes.
The breeding population of these pelican species is limited to India, Sri Lanka and Cambodia.
In the non-breeding season they are recorded in Nepal, Myanmar, Thailand, Laos and Vietnam.
Conservation status
IUCN status: Near Threatened
Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Schedule IV (Hunting prohibited but the penalty for any violation is less compared to the first two schedules)
From UPSC perspective, the following things are important :
Prelims level: Miss Kerala
Mains level: Illicit trade of exotic species
A section of aquarists and ornamental fish breeders are surprised that the Denison barb (Miss Kerala), a native freshwater fish species commonly found in parts of Karnataka and Kerala, has been included in Schedule I of the Wild Life Protection Act, 1982 (amendment bill).
Miss Kerala
Miss Kerala is also known as Denison barb, red-line torpedo barb and roseline shark.
Its scientific name is Sahyadria denisonii.
The fish is featured with red and black stripes on its body.
It is found in the States of Kerala and Karnataka.
It has been listed on the IUCN Redlist as Vulnerable, in 2010.
This species is known to inhabit fast-flowing hill streams and is often found in rocky pools with thick vegetation along river banks.
Why included in Schedule I of WPA?
Ironically, its beauty is the biggest threat to its survival, as it is highly sought-after in the international aquarium trade, constituting 60 – 65% of the total live ornamental fish exported from India.
Its numbers are also decreasing owing to habitat degradation due to deforestation, mining, agriculture, urban expansion and hydro-electric projects.
