10/31/2015

MoreIndianbirdsenterlistofthreatenedspeciesTheHindu

CITIESMUMBAI

Published:October31,201503:26IST|Updated:October31,201509:27IST
MUMBAI,October31,2015

MoreIndianbirdsenterlistofthreatenedspecies
Alokdeshpande

Alongbilledvultureatitsnaturalhabitat.Photo:SpecialArrangement
Destructionofgrasslands,wetlandsandforeststakesitstollonbirds
TheRedListofbirdsreleasedbytheInternationalUnionforConservationofNature(IUCN)for2015showsthatatotalof180birdspeciesin
Indiaarenowthreatened,asagainst173lastyear.OnlyonespecieshasmovedoutoftheRedList.
Thelatestadditionstothelist,whicharebasedonstudiesconductedbyBombayNaturalHistorySociety(BNHS)India,BirdLife
International(UKbased)andotherpartnerorganisations,revealthatbirdhabitatslikegrasslandsandwetlandsareunderthreat.Ofthenew
additions,fivehavebeenuplistedfromtheLeastConcernedtotheNearThreatenedcategory,asignofincreasedthreat.Theseinclude
NorthernLapwing(agrasslandbird)andfourwetlandbirds,namelyRedKnot,CurlewSandpiper,EurasianOystercatcherandBarTailed
Godwit.
Twootherwetlandbirds,HornedGrebeandCommonPochardhavebeenuplistedfromLeastConcernedtoVulnerable.SteppeEagle(a
raptorfromgrasslands),whichisaregularwintervisitortotheIndiansubcontinent,hasbeenuplistedfromLeastConcernedtoEndangered.
Moreeffortneeded
Thelistofthreatenedspecieskeepsonincreasingwitheveryassessment.Thatitselfsymbolisesthatoureffortsforconservationofspecies
arenotadequate.Weneedtologicallyrethinkthedevelopmentalagenda,especiallyforthehabitatsandareaswherethesespeciesexist,said
Dr.DeepakApte,Director,BNHS.Headdedthatsomeoftheneglectedhabitatsshouldbeapartofprotectedareasormarkedasecologically
sensitivesites.
Destructionofgrasslands,wetlands,forestsandotherhabitatsisconsideredthemostcommonreasonforthisdevelopment.
BNHSstudyrevealsthatapartfromhabitatloss,theotherreasonfordeclineofbirdslikeSteppeEagle,whichmostlyscavengesonanimal
carcasses,istheuseofveterinarydrugdiclofenacusedtotreatlivestock.Thisdrugcausesrenalfailureinthesebirds.Threevulturespecies,
namelyWhitebacked,SlenderbilledandLongbilledhavealsobeenseverelyaffectedbydiclofenac.
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MoreIndianbirdsenterlistofthreatenedspeciesTheHindu

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