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Of the 100-plus bird species identified in a global study as Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE), 15 of them are from India.
A recent study by experts at the Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and Yale University has identified 100 Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species worldwide. It shows that most habitats are under threat from unsustainable human activities. Of these, 15 are species from India. Birds are considered to be a good indicator of the condition of the natural environment.
According to a statement from BNHS, the 15 Indian species identified are Bengal Florican, Forest Owlet, Red-headed Vulture, Egyptian Vulture, Jerdon’s Courser, Lesser Florican, Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Sociable Lapwing, Siberian Crane, Great Indian Bustard, Greater Adjutant, White-bellied Heron, Wood Snipe, Masked Finfoot and Christmas Island Frigatebird.
BNHS has been working on the first 12 species directly or in partnership with other organisations.
The Bengal Florican, Lesser Florican, Great Indian Bustard, Sociable Lapwing and Jerdon’s Courser are birds that are under threat due to the destruction of their habitat of grasslands and scrub forests. The survival of the Spoon-billed Sandpiper, Siberian Crane and White-bellied Heron greatly depends on the existence of their wetland habitat.
The Forest Owlet’s survival is impossible if its habitat of deciduous forest in central India is destroyed. Thus, it is obvious that a variety of habitats in the country are threatened by human factors such as uncontrolled urbanisation, unsustainable industrialisation and rampant use of chemicals in agriculture.
Asad Rahmani, Director, BNHS, in a statement said, “Habitats such as grasslands and wetlands and the species inhabiting them have long been neglected in the conservation process in India. Comprehensive conservation action based on in-depth field research is required to save these species from going extinct. Today, these habitats face some of the most severe human pressures, which endanger the survival of avian populations found there”.
The study shortlisted a hundred of the world’s most globally threatened species, ranging from the ankle-high Spoon-billed Sandpiper to the prehistoric looking Greater Adjutant, which stands as tall as an adult human. EDGE birds represent millions of years of unique evolutionary history.
These birds illustrate the diversity in the natural world.
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