Species Recovery

Rahul KaulWildlife Trust of India

Our Earth

Kingdom Described SpeciesBacteria 4000Protoctists (Bacteria, Fungi ) 80,000Vertebrates 52,000Invertebrates 1,272,000Fungi 72,000Plants 2,70,000Total Described Species 1,750,000Possible total including unknown species

14,000,000

How many species do we have?

Source: UNEP-WCMC 2000

Rainforests cover only 7% of the Earth's land area but are believed to contain over 50% of the

world’s species.

Are all species integral to maintaining life on Earth?

There is still much debate as to whether species act as rivets on a plane, where the loss of each rivet weakens the aircraft, or whether species are like the people on board – Only a few (captain and other crew members) are necessary and the rest are like passengers, superfluous.

• Ecosystem Processes• Energy flows• Ecosystem services

Ecosystems

Biome Total Global Value (in US trillion $)

Main services provided

Open ocean 8.381 Nutrient cycling

Estuaries 4.100 Nutrient cycling

Sea grass and algal beds

3.801 Nutrient cycling

Coral reefs 0.375 Recreational/disturbance regulation

Coastal shelf 4.283 Nutrient cycling

Tropical forest 3.813 Nutrient cycling/raw material

Temperate forest 0.894 Climate regulation/waste treatment

Grasslands 0.906 Waste treatment/food production

Tidal Marsh 1.648 Waste treatment/disturbance regulation

Swamps 3.231 Water supply/disturbance regulation

Lakes, rivers 1.700 Water regulation

Cropland 0.128 Food Production

Total 33.268

(Constanza et al. 1997)

Valuation of the world’s ecosystem services and global capital

Group In India (no.) Proportion of the world (%)

Fish 2546 11

Amphibians 197 4.4

Birds 1250 12

Mammals 410 8.8

India has about 0.64% of world’s landmass but has a total of about 870,000 species (7.09% )

India’s Biodiversity

• Present phase of species loss seen as the sixth wave of mass extinctions.

• Argued that we may lose 50% of our species in the next few decades.

• Estimate by some indicate that we may be loosing 27000 species annually.

Reason to worry!

Species Loss• Habitat loss• Poaching for trade and subsistence hunting• Invasive species• Climate Change• Use of pesticides• Hybridization

Extinction

Rarity

•One important co-relate of extinction vulnerability

•A species that is rare is more likely to become extinct than the one which is wide-spread

•Therefore understanding the patterns of rarity remains central to conservation of the species

Rarity

Rabinowitz 1981 •Range•Populations•Habitat specificity

Rarity

Geographic distribution

Wide Narrow

Habitat Specificity

Broad Restricted Broad Restricted

Local Population size

SomewhereLarge

Every where small

Seven Forms of Rarity based on three traits after Rabinowitz, Cairns and Dillon 1986

Pheasants of India

Geographic Distribution

Wide Narrow

Local Population size

SomewhereLarge

Peafowl, Red jungle fowl, Grey jungle fowl, Himalayan Monal, Kalij

5

Blood pheasant

1Koklass, Western tragopan, Satyr tragopan, Blyth’s tragopan

4Every where small

Green peafowl

1Sclater's monal, Temmink's tragopan, Cheer , Grey peacock pheasant, Lady Hume's White eared pheasant

6Broad Restricted Broad Restricted

Habitat Specificity Habitat Specificity

Red listing by IUCN

1. Critically Endangered2. Endangered3. Vulnerable4. Near threatened5. Conservation dependent6. Least concern

IUCN Threat CategoriesPopulation reduction

Range of occurrence

Population size

Mature individuals

Critically Endangered

80% in the last 10 years

100 km2 or less or area of occupancy < 10 km2

< 250 mature individuals

<50

Endangered 50% in the last 10 years

5000 km2 or less or area of occupancy <500 km2

< 2500 mature individuals

<250

Vulnerable 20% in the last 10 years

20,000 km2 or lessArea of occupancy < 2,000 km2

<10,000 mature individuals

<1,000

IUCN Threat Categories

Conservation dependent

Taxa which are the focus of a continuing taxon-specific or habitat specific conservation programme targeted towards the taxon in question, the cessation of which would result in the taxon qualifying for one of the threatened categories within a period of five years

Near Threatened

Taxa which do not qualify for Conservation Dependent, but which are close to qualifying for Vulnerable

Least concern Taxa which do not quality for Conservation Dependent or Near Threatened.

Threatened Species of India(973)

Extinct Critical Endangered Vulnerable Total

Animals 74 198 375 647

Plants 2 60 149 117 326

Species Recovery

Species Recovery

The aim of species recovery should be to help conserve and reverse the declines of the target species.

This can be achieved by: identifying the needs of individual species to understand how to reverse declines,

undertaking practical action, including reintroductions, to help threatened species populations to recover.

Species Recovery in India

The government of India under its Integrated Development of Critical Wildlife Areas has identified 16 species for recovery.

Guidelines for submission to MOEF are available from their website

Species under considerationMammals (9)Snow Leopard, Hangul, Nilgiri Tahr, Asian Wild Buffalo,Manipur Brow-antlered Deer,Malabar Civet,Indian Rhinoceros, Asiatic Lion, Swamp Deer

Birds (5)Vultures, Bustard (including Floricans), Edible Nest Swiftlet, Jerdon’s courserNicobar MegapodeMarine (3)Dolphin,Marine Turtles, Dugongs,

Recovery of the Wild Buffalo in Chhattisgarh

Wild Buffalo

• Is an endangered Bovid• Present in India, Nepal Bhutan, Western

Thailand and Cambodia and Vietnam• In India they are found in the Central India and

the north east, predominantly in Assam• Is the state animal of Chhattisgarh• Precursor to all domestic buffalos

Past Distribution

Present Distribution

Aim

• Research• Amelioration of threats• Steps to speed up recovery

To secure wild buffalo in their natural habitats in Chhattisgarh

Strategy

Research

• Populations and distributions• Ecological requirements• Assessment of threats

Distribution

Populations

YearName of National Park and Wildlife

Sanctuaries TotalIndravati NP

Pamed WLS

Bhairamgarh WLS

Sitanadi WLS

Udanti WLS

2001 37 -- Nil Nil 72 109

2002 44 -- Nil Nil 72 116

2003 47 5 Nil Nil 72 124

2004 49 8 Nil Nil 67 124

2005 49 8 Nil Nil 61 118

The numbers

Name of PA Estimated Wild buffalo population

Indravati NP 20-25Pamed WLS 5-8Bhairamgarh WLS NilSitanadi WLS NilUdanti WLS 09

Total 34 – 42

Study area

Ecology of wild buffalo in Udanti

• Where are they distributed?• What habitats they like?• What foods they eat?

Home Ranges

Habitat

1. Concentrated in the central parts of the sanctuary, occupying the lowlands

2. Pre-dominantly forest species, coming out only at night

3. All individuals showed use of habitats in proportion to the availability of vegetation types like dense forest, open forest and non forest.

Food

• Buffalo is a grazer and needs grassy patches

• Feeds largely on Heteropogon contortus, Themeda triandra, and Bothricholoa sp. Digitaria granularis, Eragrostis pilosa, Imperata cylindrica

• Also indulge in crop raiding

Threats

To Animals:• Killing/poaching• Numbers• Landuse/disturbance

To Habitats• lack of water availability during key periods• Lack of feeding areas • Fire

Poaching

Mainly from ParadhKilling also due to crop retaliation

– Improve patrolling– Monitoring by local team of trackers– Crop depredation compensation

Augmentation• Conservation breeding• Translocation and restocking

Numbers

Conservation breeding

• The only surviving female was taken into captivity

• She was mated with three different wild males and produced three male calves

• One male calf was released into the wild and is being monitored.

Translocation

– Female buffalos from adjoining populations

Patchy distribution of grassland in MH adjoining to Indravati TR

Wallowing points of Wild buffalo in MH adjoining to Indravati TR

Translocation

From Assam??

Wild Kaziranga and Udanti buffalos may be genetically similar to allow translocations.

Human presenceHuman settlements and expanding villages

All the flat open grasslands seem to be farmland nowWild buffalos pushed to the forests

Relocation in the offing

Domestic buffalosGraze in the sanctuary, use the water holes and drive away the wild buffalos.Male buffalos find mating opportunities near villagesHybridisation and possible disease transmission

Buffalo exchange scheme by the government

Availability of water

Invasive weed species

Fire

Other Initiatives

The role of mediaExpertise (national and International)

LessonsLong tern very slow processUnforseen issuesExpensiveMust have a strong willed team

Moral of the story

Treat the patient before it is forced into an ICU