Last fortnight, the environment ministry rejected a Western Ghats conservation report written by a panel of experts led by ecologist Madhav Gadgil. The National Green Tribunal, a specially constituted judicial body that focuses on environment conflicts, told the environment ministry that it had to decide between the Gadgil report and another report by a committee chaired by the space scientist K Kasturirangan. The environment ministry decided it would not use the Gadgil recommendations.
Ecologists are protesting the decision, saying that the Gadgil plan offers more rigorous protection to the region. The Gadgil report says that all of the Western Ghats should be treated as ecologically sensitive, though divided into three zones, with different criteria for development in each zone. Gadgil’s panel is of the view that 90% of the ghats should be protected. The Kasturirangan report, on the other hand, says only 37% of the Ghats is ecologically sensitive.
The Western Ghats are rich in biodiversity, with more than 500 known species of native plants and animals. The region is crucial to the survival of the iconic but endangered tiger and the Asian elephant. In the three years since the Gadgil panel submitted its report, researchers have found new species of frogs, lizards, fish and trees – many of which were already on the edge of existence when discovered. Here are some of the lesser-known but threatened and endangered species found in the narrow mountain forests today.
Malabar civet cat
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has put this mammal on its critically endangered list. This small dog-like grey feline, with large, dark spots was believed extinct in 1978 but was rediscovered a decade later. There are now only about 250 mature adults found in the Kerala ghats and protected regions of Karnataka.
Nilgiri wood pigeon
Categorised as "vulnerable" by the IUCN, this large pigeon is identified by a black-and-white checkerboard pattern on its nape. These birds were hunted for food and sport, which began their decline in the Nilgiri section of the Ghats. They are now threatened by habitat loss due to shifting cultivation and the timber industry.
Amboli toad
The toad is found only in a relatively small patch of 10 square kilometers, in Amboli in Maharashtra. The toad is less than 1.5 inches in length, with a black-brown body and a yellow throat with black spots. It is critically endangered, though no conservation action has been undertaken.
Ratnagiri white-striped viper gecko
This lizard, marked with black and white bands on its body, is found not less than 1,000 meters from the intertidal zones of the coast , where it thrives in the high moisture and salinity. It hides under rocks in the coastal plains and feeds on insects. The white-banded lizard is currently vulnerable because of rampant stone quarrying and mining, which is driving it from its habitat.
Western Ghats bronzeback
The bronze-headed vine snake is about two feet long and is found in the shola grasslands of the Nilgiris. The species was only discovered in 2011. The bronzeback is losing its grasslands to pine, eucalyptus and tea plantations and is endangered.
Citron barb
The barb is one of the newest species of fish to be discovered and has been found in the rivers of Raigad and Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. The fish is bright yellow with iridescent scales. Scientists who published their discovery of the barb this June have recommended that the fish be added to the IUCN list of endangered species.
The Purple Frog
A bizzare-looking frog found widely in the Western Ghats, the frog spends most of the year underground and surfaces only to mate in the monsoon. The existence of this curious-looking amphibian is threatened by the loss of forests for coffee, cardamom and ginger plantations.
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Ecologists are protesting the decision, saying that the Gadgil plan offers more rigorous protection to the region. The Gadgil report says that all of the Western Ghats should be treated as ecologically sensitive, though divided into three zones, with different criteria for development in each zone. Gadgil’s panel is of the view that 90% of the ghats should be protected. The Kasturirangan report, on the other hand, says only 37% of the Ghats is ecologically sensitive.
The Western Ghats are rich in biodiversity, with more than 500 known species of native plants and animals. The region is crucial to the survival of the iconic but endangered tiger and the Asian elephant. In the three years since the Gadgil panel submitted its report, researchers have found new species of frogs, lizards, fish and trees – many of which were already on the edge of existence when discovered. Here are some of the lesser-known but threatened and endangered species found in the narrow mountain forests today.
Malabar civet cat
The International Union for Conservation of Nature has put this mammal on its critically endangered list. This small dog-like grey feline, with large, dark spots was believed extinct in 1978 but was rediscovered a decade later. There are now only about 250 mature adults found in the Kerala ghats and protected regions of Karnataka.
Nilgiri wood pigeon
Photo: Ganesh Subramaniam/Flickr
Categorised as "vulnerable" by the IUCN, this large pigeon is identified by a black-and-white checkerboard pattern on its nape. These birds were hunted for food and sport, which began their decline in the Nilgiri section of the Ghats. They are now threatened by habitat loss due to shifting cultivation and the timber industry.
Amboli toad
Photo: Sagar/Flickr
The toad is found only in a relatively small patch of 10 square kilometers, in Amboli in Maharashtra. The toad is less than 1.5 inches in length, with a black-brown body and a yellow throat with black spots. It is critically endangered, though no conservation action has been undertaken.
Ratnagiri white-striped viper gecko
Photo: Varad Giri
This lizard, marked with black and white bands on its body, is found not less than 1,000 meters from the intertidal zones of the coast , where it thrives in the high moisture and salinity. It hides under rocks in the coastal plains and feeds on insects. The white-banded lizard is currently vulnerable because of rampant stone quarrying and mining, which is driving it from its habitat.
Western Ghats bronzeback
Photo: Arundhati Das/Creative Commons
The bronze-headed vine snake is about two feet long and is found in the shola grasslands of the Nilgiris. The species was only discovered in 2011. The bronzeback is losing its grasslands to pine, eucalyptus and tea plantations and is endangered.
Citron barb
Photo: Ralph Britz/JOTT
The barb is one of the newest species of fish to be discovered and has been found in the rivers of Raigad and Ratnagiri in Maharashtra. The fish is bright yellow with iridescent scales. Scientists who published their discovery of the barb this June have recommended that the fish be added to the IUCN list of endangered species.
The Purple Frog
Photo: Lilly Margaret/Creative Commons
A bizzare-looking frog found widely in the Western Ghats, the frog spends most of the year underground and surfaces only to mate in the monsoon. The existence of this curious-looking amphibian is threatened by the loss of forests for coffee, cardamom and ginger plantations.
