Quotes from Experts in Biodiversity Conservation

The IUCN press release of 19th June has issued quotes from IUCN Red List partner organizations. Since these quotes are an expression of the situation with regard to conservation, the quotes are reproduced for their value in advocating the cause of conservation:

Professor Stephen Hopper, Director (CEO and Chief Scientist), Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew: 

“Recent work on plant assessments suggests that around 1 in 5 plants are threatened with extinction. Three quarters of the world’s population depends directly on plants for their primary health care. Eighty percent of our calorie intake comes from 12 plant species,”. “If we care about the food we eat, and the medicines we use, we must act to conserve our medicinal plants and our crop wild relatives. There are large gaps in our knowledge and much work needs to be done to secure the future of plants and fungi which are critical to our survival.”

Professor Jonathan Baillie, Director of Conservation Programmes, Zoological Society of London:

“A green economy is one that values all species, whether they have market value or not.”  “To stop the rapid increase of threatened species and ecosystems the Rio + 20 Earth Summit must succeed in laying the foundation of a new development path that values all life.”

Richard Edwards, Chief Executive of Wildscreen, who are working with IUCN to help raise the public profile of the world’s threatened species through the power of wildlife and environmental imagery:

“Expanding both the number and diversity of species assessed on the IUCN Red List is imperative if we are to have a clear understanding of our impact on the natural world.” “The latest update to the IUCN Red List highlights the impacts we are having on the world’s biodiversity, even those species that so many of the human population rely on for food, medicine, clean water, etc. We need to successfully communicate the plight, significance, value and importance of all these species if we are to rescue them from the brink of extinction.”

Dr Russell Mittermeier, IUCN Vice President and President of Conservation International:

“More than half of the snake species identified as threatened with extinction - 57% - are at most risk from habitat loss and degradation. The Malaysian island Pulau Tioman is home to three of the Critically Endangered reptile species – the Pulau Tioman ground snake, Boo-Liat’s kukri snake and a recently described reed snake, Oligodon booliati – that are under threat from development destroying the small area of remaining forest. This could result in their extinction within a decade.” “In cases such as the Vulnerable King Cobra and Burmese Python, to which exploitation is the greatest threat, forest loss is an additional pressure. These two species may in fact be considerably more threatened, but research is urgently needed to confirm this. Ultimately, declines and losses of species are a symptom of broader human pressures on their habitats.”

Dr Stuart Butchart, Global Research Coordinator, BirdLife International:

“With the spotlight shining on Brazil at the Rio+20 conference, it is worrying that almost 100 bird species from the Amazon have been moved to higher categories of threat in the 2012 IUCN Red List following an analysis by BirdLife International on the impacts of projected Amazonian deforestation.”

Mary Klein, president and CEO of NatureServe:

“We find cause for hope in the rediscovery of species even in the United States, like the Wicker Ancylid from Alabama's Coosa River valley.”  "But by highlighting how many species still face ongoing local and global threats, the current update to the Red List underscores the fundamental need to continue and even expand efforts to assess extinction risks to species.”

Conserving Biodiversity Is Essential For Human Economic Security and Survival

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) through its international news release of 19th June has cautioned the world that "the source of our food, medicines and clean water, as well the livelihoods of millions of people may be at risk with the rapid decline of the world’s animal, plant and fungi species".

The IUCN released its latest update of the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species™, on 19th June on the eve of the UN Conference on Sustainable Development in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Red List is a critical indicator of the health of the world’s biodiversity.

The list shows that of the 63,837 species assessed, 19,817 are threatened with extinction: the most threatened group is of amphibians (41%), folowed by reef building corals (33%), mammals (25%), birds (13%), and conifers (30%).

“Sustainability is a matter of life and death for people on the planet,” says Julia Marton-Lefèvre, Director General, IUCN. “A sustainable future cannot be achieved without conserving biological diversity - animal and plant species, their habitats and their genes - not only for nature itself, but also for all 7 billion people who depend on it." 

                                                                                                          A film by IUCN

The latest IUCN Red List was a clarion call to world leaders who gathered in Rio to secure the web of life on this planet. Wealthy countries depend primarily on few domesticated species for their dietary needs, but globally millions of other people are dependent on hundreds of wild species.

Freshwater ecosystems are under substantial pressure from expanding human populations and exploitation of water resources. An important food source, freshwater fish are facing threats from unsustainable fishing practices and habitat destruction caused by pollution and the construction of dams.

A quarter of the world’s inland fisheries are located on the African continent, yet 27% of freshwater fish in Africa are threatened including the Oreochromis karongae, an extremely important source of food in the Lake Malawi region that has been severely overfished. In the latest IUCN Red List update the Mekong Herring (Tenualosa thibaudeaui), an important commercial fish endemic to the lower Mekong River in the Indo-Burma region, has been listed as vulnerable as a result of overfishing and habitat degradation.

Fishing constitutes main source of food and primary income in 90% of coastal populations in several parts of the world, but overfishing has led to decline of commercial fish stocks by over 90%. Currently 36% of skates and rays are threatened with extinction including the commercially valuable Leopard Ray (Himantura leoparda), which is listed as now a vulnerable species due to extensive habitat degradation and fishing pressure.

More than 275 million people are dependent on coral reefs for food, coastal protection and livelihoods. Globally, coral reef fisheries are worth USD 6.8 billion annually. Overfishing affects 55% of the world’s reefs. According to the IUCN Red List, 18% of groupers, an economically important family of large reef fish, are threatened. It is therefore imperative that Coral reefs must be protected and managed sustainably to ensure them as source of essential food that millions of people rely on as a source of protein.

“The services and economic value that species provide are irreplaceable and essential to our wellbeing,” says Jon Paul Rodríguez, Deputy Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission (SSC). “Unless we live within the limits set by nature, and manage our natural resources sustainably, more and more species will be driven towards extinction. If we ignore our responsibility we will compromise our own survival.”

Crop wild relatives, such as the Critically Endangered Beta patula, a primary wild relative of cultivated beets, are of vital importance for food security and agriculture as they can be used to produce new crop varieties. It is estimated that crop wild relatives contribute more than USD 100 billion worldwide towards increased crop yields.

Production of at least one third of the world’s food, including 87 of the 113 leading food crops, depends on pollination carried out by insects, bats and birds. This ecosystem service is worth over USD 200 billion per year. According to the IUCN Red List 16% of Europe’s endemic butterflies are threatened. Bats, which are also important pollinators, are also at risk with 18% threatened globally.

The latest IUCN Red List update shows that four members of the hummingbird family, which is known for its pollination services, are now at greater risk of extinction with the Pink-throated Brilliant (Heliodoxa gularis) listed as Vulnerable. In addition to their important pollination roles, bats and birds also aid in controlling insect populations that may otherwise destroy economically important agricultural plants.


Invasive alien species are one of the leading and most rapidly growing threats to food security, human and animal health and biodiversity. A recent analysis of IUCN Red List data highlighted invasive alien species as the fifth most severe threat to amphibians, and the third most severe threat to birds and mammals.

Together with climate change, invasive alien species have become one of the most difficult threats to reverse. For example, Water Hyacinth (Eichnornia crassipes) is an aquatic plant native to the Amazon basin, but in Africa its rapid spread poses a significant threat to water supplies and the use of inland waters for fishing or transportation. The economic impacts may be as much as USD 100 million annually across all of Africa.

Solutions incorporating awareness and prevention measures, as well as early warning and rapid response systems that include containment, control and eradication programmes, need to be implemented on both a regional and global scale in order to reduce the negative effects of alien species.

The latest IUCN Red List shows that 10% of snakes endemic to China and South East Asia are threatened with extinction. Snakes are unsustainably used in traditional medicines and anti-venom serum, as food, and as a source of income from the sale of skins. Nearly 43% of the endemic snake species in South East Asia which are in the Endangered and Vulnerable categories are threatened, and this trend ought to be reversed.

The world’s largest venomous snake, the King Cobra (Ophiophagus hannah), is listed as vulnerable due to loss of habitat and over-exploitation for medicinal purposes. The Burmese Python (Python bivittatus), best-known in the West as an invasive species in the Florida Everglades, is also listed as vulnerable in its native range, with trade and over-exploitation for food and skins, especially in China and Vietnam, being the main threats to the species. Despite its designation as a protected species in China, populations there show no evidence of recovery, and illegal catching continues.


While  medicinal plants and animals are used as source of medicinal products in several countries, about 100 most-prescribed drugs originate from wild species. Amphibians play a vital role in the search for new medicines as important chemical compounds can be found on the skin of many frogs. Yet 41% of amphibian species are threatened with extinction, including the recently described frog, Anodonthyla hutchisoni from Madagascar, which is now considered endangered.

More than 70,000 different plant species are used in traditional and modern medicine. The IUCN Red List update includes a number of South East Asian plants which are used for food and medicine. The Tsao-ko Cardamom (Amomum tsao-ko), is now a nearly threatened species because its edible fruits have been over-harvested for trading. In several cases the over-exploitation combined with loss of habitat due to deforestation and other threats has resulted in species being listed in a threatened category.

Two relatives of turmeric – Curcuma candida and Curcuma rhabdota (Candy Cane Ginger) - are both listed as vulnerable, and the Zingiber monophyllum, a wild species of ginger is listed as endangered.

Other important services supplied by species include improvement and control of air quality by plants and trees. A mature leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year. They clean the soil, act as carbon sinks, and clean the air. Bivalve molluscs and many wetland plants carry out water filtration services to provide clean water, whilst snails help control algae.

In Africa 42% of all freshwater molluscs are globally threatened and in Europe 68% of endemic freshwater molluscs are globally threatened by habitat loss, pollution and the development of dams.

“Most of the drivers of biodiversity loss, including species extinctions, are economic in nature,” says Dr Simon Stuart, Chair, IUCN Species Survival Commission. “An economy can only be described as ‘green’ if it promotes the achievement of the 20 Aichi Biodiversity Targets that governments agreed on in 2010.”

Open Competitions

There is a growing concern all over the world about the loss of species of plants and animals due to development activities and deforestation. We all have to show our concern about this loss, and when ever possible we must try to bring some check upon these activities so that our environment is saved to the maximum possible.

One of the major effects due to changes in our environment, being noticed all over the world, is the effect on climate. Extreme colds, summer, rains and floods in recent years have surprised the weather experts. Plants and animals are also getting affected by this climate change. And those species which are already threatened due to development activities, and human invasion to biodiversity rich areas, are at greater risks due to climate change, which can even fasten the process of their disappearance from the Earth.

To develop awareness about the distinct forms of life and their unbelievable capacities to adapt and survive in very different environments, and their unbelievable morphological, anatomical, physiological adaptations to different environments, have drawn human awe, attention and interest to find out underlying cellular and molecular level functions to preserve species in question, and also to  find application to human health and disease, and possibly cures.

Stemming from this human  awe, attention and interest about the diversity of animals and plants on earth, I have floated an art competition with its last date  being 31st August, 2012, and another competition for identification of an insect, which I believe scholars in the field of  Zoology, or other fields, even the general public interested in animals, may find interesting to take part. Take part and contribute before the last dates.

                                                                              Photo By: Zaka Imam

                                                                                       Photo By: Zaka Imam

Photos Above: Larvae of spittle bug carrying protective bubbles on their body.The bubbles are formed when a secretion from their anus (while the larva is in upside down position on a twig) covers their body and they breathe out air from spiracles which gets trapped as bubbles in the secretion. See the story.

I Love My Freedom

When I saw this mare grazing nearby, I was immediately struck by the colour pattern of her skin, and readily took out camera to take her shot. She stopped grazing, and (her head still down) looked at me from the sides of her eyes. I found her eyes shining, beautiful, strikingly captivating. When I enlarged the photo of her face, I found her telling, 'I love my freedom'.

I made a promise to her, 'I will tweet for you!'

Network & Collaborate: Research Projects / Activities In Biodiversity Conservation

I invite experts, researchers, students, and the public to network and organize, through this Blog, several types of activities for conservation of Biodiversity, and at the end contribute small write-ups on the outcome, findings, and experiences:

• Trekking mountains and forests
• Eco-travelling
• Conferences & Workshops/Art competitions/Essay writing on a Subject of Importance?
• Identify a Sample of Plant or Animal
• Share joint projects
• Develop promotional Literature/Film on important topics of Biodiversity conservation, or on a 'Hot-spot'
• Plan and promote suitable merchandise to support the objective of an NGO involved in promoting conservation of Biodiversity/Nature

Identify the insect and mail your answer, latest by 30th June, 2012, to the Blogger, and win a prize of appreciation (Books) worth Rupees Five Hundred only 

Suggestions for networking, projects, and other activities may be sent to the Bloggger: Dr Zaka Imam, on his E-.Mail account: zakaimam@gmail.com .

Saola, A Cousin of Cattle, Is In Great Danger

A large mammal, discovered in 1992 by a joint team from Vietnam’s Ministry of Forestry and WWF surveying the forests of Vu Quang, near Vietnam's border with Laos, considered as one of the most spectacular zoological discoveries of the 20th century, is in great danger, because is threatened with extinction.

Two decades after the sensational discovery of this new ungulate species, called the Saola (Pseudoryx nghetinhensis), this rare animal remains as mysterious and elusive as ever. The Saola Working Group (SWG) of the IUCN Species Survival Commission, the World Wildlife Fund (WWF) and the Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) warn that the species is sliding towards extinction because of intensive hunting pressure and poor reserve management.

Saola is a cousin of cattle, but resembles more like an antelope in appearance. The difficulty in detecting the animal has prevented scientists from making a precise population estimate. “If things are good, there may be a couple of hundred Saola out there,” says William Robichaud, Coordinator of the IUCN Saola Working Group. “If things are bad, the population could now be down in the tens,”as quoted in a release from IUCN.

Though two decades have passed the discovery, even now, very little is known about the Saola’s ecology and behaviour. In 2010, villagers in the central Laos province of Bolikhamxay had captured a Saola, but the animal died several days later. Prior to that, the last confirmed record of a Saola in the wild was in 1999 from camera-trap photos in Bolikhamxay.

Efforts to save the Saola have reached a greater level of urgency since another of Vietnam's iconic species, the Vietnamese Javan Rhino (Rhinoceros sondaicus annamiticus), was confirmed as extinct in 2011 , after the battle to save its last member fell victim in the hands  of poachers.

The IUCN  press release issued last month points out that development is fast encroaching on the Saola’s forest habitat, and the greatest threat to the species is from illegal hunting. Hunters set wire snares to catch other animals, such as Sambar Deer (Rusa unicolor), Muntjac Deer (Muntiacus reevesi) and civets, but Saola too are caught in those wires. There is a lucrative wildlife trade driven by traditional medicine demand in China, and by demand from restaurant and food markets in Vietnam and Laos.

After the discovery of the Saola, Vietnam and Laos have established a network of protected areas in the animal’s core range and some reserves are pursuing innovative approaches to tackle rampant poaching.

In the Saola Nature Reserve in Vietnam’s Thua Thien Hue Province, a new approach to forest guard co-management is delivering positive results. Since February 2011, the team of forest guards patrolling the reserve have removed more than 12,500 snares and close to 200 illegal hunting and logging camps.

“Saola are extremely secretive and very seldom seen,” says Nick Cox, Manager of WWF-Greater Mekong’s Species Programme. “While they inhabit a very restricted range, there is still no reported sighting of a Saola in the wild by a scientist, and the handful of Saola that have been taken into captivity have not survived.”

The Saola is an icon for biodiversity in the Annamite mountain range that runs along the border of Vietnam and Laos. This biodiversity hotspot boasts an incredible diversity of rare species, with many found nowhere else on the planet. In addition to the discovery of the Saola, two new species of deer, the Large-antlered Muntjac (Muntiacus vuquangensis) and the Truong Son Muntjac (Muntiacus truongsonensis), were uncovered in the Annamite’s rugged, evergreen forests in 1994, and 1997, respectively.

 “If hunting levels can be significantly reduced, we are optimistic about the species' prospects,” says Chris Hallam, WCS-Laos’ Conservation Planning Advisor. “This will require funds for more patrol boots on the ground in Saola areas, developing positive incentives for its conservation, and ultimately reducing consumer demand for wildlife meat and products. The Saola has made it to its twentieth anniversary, but it won’t have many more anniversaries unless urgent action is taken.”

It is hoped that issues involving species survival and conservation will be discussed at the the forthcoming IUCN World Conservation Congress in Jeju, Republic of Korea, from 6 to 15  September 2012, and measures taken to save species like Saola which are so important from scientific as well as conservation angles.

Losing  Saola to forces of extinction due to poaching and development will be a much bigger loss of the 21st century, as compared to the importance of its discovery in the 20th century, given the seriousness the international community gives to protection of such important rare species !