8 birds added to IUCN red list

[Mrudul Godbole]

Eight birds added to IUCN red list
Thu, Oct 29 2015

IUCN has added the eight bird speices from India in the Red List of threatened species for 2015 -

- The Northern Lapwing
- Red Knot
- Curlew Sandpiper
- Eurasian Oystercatcher
- Bar-Tailed Godwit.
- Horned Grebe (uplisted from least concerned to vulnerable)
- Common Pochard (uplisted from least concerned to vulnerable) and
- Steppe Eagle

Total number of threatened bird species in India have reached to 180 from 173. This show the increased threat to their grasslands and wetlands habitat.

The European Roller was downlisted from near threatened to least concerned.

BNHS director Deepak Apte said “The list of threatened species keeps on increasing with every assessment. That itself symbolizes that our efforts for conservation of species are not adequate. We need to logically rethink the developmental agenda, especially for the habitats and areas where these species exist. Some of the neglected habitats should therefore be a part of protected areas or marked as ecologically sensitive sites.”

[Sabyasachi Patra]

I had never imagined Common Pochard to be also included in the list of threatened species. When a bird with a name common becomes uncommon, then it is a sign of impending trouble. Too often people ignore the role of the grassland ecosystems. There are also cases of misguided cases of tree plantations in the grasslands. Wish people can protect our grasslands.