India has seen mixed results in terms of species trends; bird populations in open habitats have declined | India News – Times of India

NEW DELHI: With the WWF‘S Living Planet Report 2024 highlighting a catastrophic 73% decline in the average size of wildlife populations in just 50 years, TOI on Thursday tried to find out what were the most important benefits for India. Dipankar Ghose, Director, Biodiversity Conservation, WWF-India, responded to important questions about India and its efforts, one way or another, to conserve the country’s wild populations. Fragments:
What are the key insights for India in terms of vulnerability, decline in species numbers (specific examples), habitat loss and any efforts to restore/preserve the country’s natural ecosystem?
India has seen mixed results for species trends. Tiger populations in the country have been increasing over the past one and a half decades, with an average population estimate of 3,682 individuals as of the last count. However, for bird populations the situation is reversed. Birds in open habitats have declined. In India, scientists developed sophisticated SDMs (Species Distribution Models) and predicted 1,091 terrestrial bird species to be distributed in the country by 2070 across two climate surfaces using Maximum Entropy-based species distribution algorithms. Of these bird species, about 66-73% of the country’s species will shift to higher elevations or northwards. Another 58% of bird species would lose part of their range, while about 40% of bird species would increase.
The richness of bird species in both the western and eastern Himalayas is expected to change dramatically. An overall decrease in congregation or flock size of birds has also been observed. The State of India’s Birds (2023) assessed data on 942 bird species based on 30 million observations and reported a decline of 39% in recent decades. The same report also classified 178 species as high conservation priority. Vulture numbers have declined sharply between 2002 and 2022, and the latest survey of vultures across India has seen the population of the white-rumped vulture decline by 67%, the Indian vulture by 48% and the slender-billed vulture by 89%. . These decreases are attributed to the use of NSAIDs such as acelofenac and ketoprofen.
It is important to conserve bird habitats, in urban, suburban and natural ecosystems – they are the indicators of the health of important ecosystems. Even for tigers, habitats have decreased while numbers have increased. The latest All India Tiger Estimation Report (NTCA, 2022) states that 254,880 square km of tiger habitat was found to contain invasive species of varying sizes across the country. Although on the whole India has done well in conserving a number of important species and in fact has the largest populations of species in the world such as the Bengal tiger, the greater one-horned rhinoceros and the Asian elephant, as well as a significant population of aquatic species such as the river dolphin and gharial. At the same time, species like the Great Indian Bustard are on the brink of extinction.
Do you think these efforts are enough?
India has done well in the recovery of endangered species such as the greater one-horned rhino, which has seen concerted action by the government, scientists and civil society organizations, backed by tremendous popular support. There was a multifaceted approach, covering protection, restoration and management of habitats and recovery of species through active management. Such efforts are necessary for the recovery of the populations of other critically endangered and threatened species. Along with government efforts, industries, institutions and civil society organizations will need to join forces for species-specific recovery efforts.
What else can be done?
The long-term conservation of wildlife and ecosystems in India requires a holistic, science-based and inclusive approach that integrates well-managed and connected ecosystems and effective species conservation strategies implemented in collaboration and with the support of local communities. As new threats such as climate change emerge, ecosystem-based adaptation helps manage the impacts of climate change by increasing the resilience of ecosystems and communities. Specific actions include the restoration of wetlands and mangroves. OECMs (Other Effective Area Based Conservation Measures) that support nature conservation in areas outside formally protected areas, with the involvement of communities, businesses and individuals, are also a way forward in nature protection.