Kerala will have its own Red List of threatened plants and animals shortly.
The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) and a group of bird enthusiasts have kicked off separate programmes for preparing the conservation status of the flora and fauna, including birds of the State, along the lines of the global conservation status assessments carried out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The IUCN red list classifies species into extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened and least concern after globally evaluating the threat faced by them.
The list, according to IUCN, aims to “provide information and analyses on the status, trends and threats to species in order to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation.” It is also intended to “establish a baseline from which to monitor the change in status of species, provide a global context for the establishment of conservation priorities at the local level, monitor, on a continuing basis, the status of a representative selection of species (as biodiversity indicators) that cover all the major ecosystems of the world.”
Myristica malabarica, a tree found in swamp forests of Kerala, has been listed as vulnerable in the list whereas bird species namely painted stork and black-headed ibis were categorised as near threatened by the IUCN. While Malabar civet, a mammal has been listed as Critically Endangered, Nilgiri tahr, the mountain ungulate species, was listed as an endangered species.
Last year, 132 species of plants and animals from the country were listed as critically endangered, the most threatened category, in the list. Two plant species, including Euphorbia mayuranthanii, found in Kerala were reported as extinct in the wild.Kerala will have its own Red List of threatened plants and animals shortly.
The Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) and a group of bird enthusiasts have kicked off separate programmes for preparing the conservation status of the flora and fauna, including birds of the State, along the lines of the global conservation status assessments carried out by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN).
The IUCN red list classifies species into extinct, extinct in the wild, critically endangered, endangered, vulnerable, near threatened and least concern after globally evaluating the threat faced by them.
The list, according to IUCN, aims to “provide information and analyses on the status, trends and threats to species in order to inform and catalyse action for biodiversity conservation.” It is also intended to “establish a baseline from which to monitor the change in status of species, provide a global context for the establishment of conservation priorities at the local level, monitor, on a continuing basis, the status of a representative selection of species (as biodiversity indicators) that cover all the major ecosystems of the world.”
Myristica malabarica, a tree found in swamp forests of Kerala, has been listed as vulnerable in the list whereas bird species namely painted stork and black-headed ibis were categorised as near threatened by the IUCN. While Malabar civet, a mammal has been listed as Critically Endangered, Nilgiri tahr, the mountain ungulate species, was listed as an endangered species.
Last year, 132 species of plants and animals from the country were listed as critically endangered, the most threatened category, in the list. Two plant species, including Euphorbia mayuranthanii, found in Kerala were reported as extinct in the wild.
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