Open Access
Subscription Access
Recovery of Critically Endangered Plant Species in India:Need for a Comprehensive Approach
There has been a growing concern about the increasing number of species that are globally threatened. Developmental projects, and increased dependence on forests both for sustenance and livelihood have rendered many species threatened. In the Indian context, more than 150 species are critically endangered and require immediate intervention to sustain their populations. A number of plant species are destructively extracted solely from the forests. Apart from anthropogenic threats, several species are threatened due to invasive species and climate change. In the light of increasing and continued threats, species recovery is the only viable option for restoring many of them from extinction. Here, we review the existing recovery programmes in the country and suggest a comprehensive approach in the conservation and recovery of many of the critically endangered species. We highlight issues that need to be addressed and discuss strategies for recovering the critically endangered species in the country.
Keywords
Endangered Plants, Ecological Interactions, Genetic Enrichment, Niche Modelling, Species Recovery.
User
Font Size
Information
- IUCN, The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2016-3; http://www.iucnredlist.org (downloaded on 23 March 2017).
- Spielman, D., Brook, B. W. and Frankham, R., Most species are not driven to extinction before genetic factors impact them. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2004, 101(42), 15261–15264.
- USFWS, US Fish and Wildlife Service Endangered Species Program, 1992; http://endangered.fws.gov/recovery, summary of listed species listed populations and recovery plans as of Tuesday, 4 April 2017, 08:52:52 GMT.
- Vasudeva, R., Raghu, H. B., Dasappa, Uma Shaanker, R. and Ganeshaiah, K. N., Population structure, reproductive biology and conservation of Semecarpus kathalekanensis: a critically endangered freshwater swamp tree species of the Western Ghats. In Forest Genetic Resources: Status, Threats and Conservation Strategies (eds Uma Shaanker, R., Ganeshaiah, K. N. and Bawa, K. S.), Oxford and IBH Publications, New Delhi, 2001, pp. 211–223.
- Puttaswamy, H., Kushalappa, C. G., Ajayan, K. V. and Sathish, B. N., Distribution and population status of a critically endangered tree species Dipterocarpus bourdillonii Brandis in central Western Ghats. In Proceedings of International Forestry Environment Symposium, 2012, vol. 15, pp. 150–154.
- Ved, D. K., Medicinal plants trade in India – an overview. In Proceedings of the Conference on Policies, Management, Utilization and Conservation of Non-timber Forest Products (NTFPs) in the South Asia Region (eds Hiremath, A. J., Joseph, G. C. and Uma Shaanker, R.), Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and Environment, Bangalore and Forestry Research Support Program for Asia and the Pacific, Food and Agriculture Organisation, Bangkok, 2003.
- DGCIS, Report, Directorate General of Commercial Intelligence and Statistics, 2017; http://www.dgciskol.nic.in (last updated on 3 April 2017 and accessed on 5 April 2017).
- Ismail, S. A., Ghazoul, J., Ravikanth, G., Uma Shaanker, R., Kushalappa, C. G. and Kettle, C. J., Does long distance pollen dispersal preclude inbreeding in tropical trees? Fragmentation genetics of Dysoxylum malabaricum in an agro-forest landscape. Mol. Ecol., 2012, 21(22), 5484–5496; doi:10.1111/mec.12054.
- Ismail, S. A., Ghazoul, J., Ravikanth, G., Kushalappa, C. G., Uma Shaanker, R. and Kettle, C. J., Forest trees in human modified landscapes: ecological and genetic drivers of recruitment failure in Dysoxylum malabaricum (Meliaceae). PLOS ONE, 2014, 9(2), e89437; doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0089437.
- Tewari, D. N., In Western Ghats Ecosystem, International Book Distributors, Dehra Dun, 1995.
- Vasudeva, R., Raghu, H. B., Suraj, P. G., Ravikanth, G., Uma Shaanker, R. and Ganeshaiah, K. N., Can we restore critically endangered tree species of the Western Ghats through recovery plans? In Proceedings of the Workshop on Conservation and research Needs of the Rare, Endangered and Threatened (RET) Tree Species in Kerala part of the Western Ghats (eds Kallarackal, J., Swarupanandan, K. and Sharma, J. K.), KFRI Publications, Thrissur, Kerala, 2003.
- Yadav, S. R., Chandore, A. N., Nimbalkar, M. S. and Gurav, R. V., Reintroduction of Hubbardia heptaneuron Bor, a critically endangered endemic grass in Western Ghats. Curr. Sci., 2009, 96(7), 879–880.
- Chandore, A. N., Nimbalkar, M. S., Gurav, R. V., Bapat, V. A. and Yadav, S. R., A protocol for multiplication and restoration of Ceropegia fantastica Sedgw.: a critically endangered plant species. Curr. Sci., 2010, 99(11), 1593–1596.
- Geldmann, J., Barnes, M., Coad, L., Craigie, I. D., Hockings, M. and Burgess, N. D., Effectiveness of terrestrial protected areas in reducing habitat loss and population declines. Biol. Conserv., 2013, 161, 230–238.
- Kothari, A., Pande, P., Singh, S. and Variava, D., Management of national parks and sanctuaries in India: a status report. Indian Institute of Public Administration, New Delhi, 1989.
- Shivaprakash, K. N., Ravikanth, G., Barve, N., Ghazoul, J., Ganeshaiah, K. N. and Uma Shaanker, R., Do ecological niche model predictions reflect the adaptive landscape of species? A test using Myristica malabarica Lam., an endemic tree in the Western Ghats, India. PLOS ONE, 2013, 8(11), e82066; doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0082066.
- Thriveni, H. N., Srikanth Gunaga, H. N., Ramesh Babu and Vasudeva, R., Ecological niche modeling, population status and regeneration of Coscinium fenestratum Colebr. (Menispermaceae): a medicinally important liana of the central Western Ghats. Trop. Ecol., 2015, 56(1), 101–110.
- Adhikari, D., Barik, S. and Upadhaya, K., Habitat distribution modelling for reintroduction of Ilex khasiana Purk., a critically endangered tree species of northeastern India. Ecol. Eng., 2012, 40, 37–43.
- Priti, H., Aravind, N. A., Uma Shaanker, R. and Ravikanth, G., Modeling impacts of future climate on the distribution of Myristicaceae species in the Western Ghats, India. Ecol. Eng., 2016, 89, 14–23.
- Sen, S., Gode, A., Ramanujam, S., Ravikanth, G. and Aravind, N. A., Modeling the impact of climate change on wild Piper nigrum (Black Pepper) in Western Ghats, India using ecological niche models. J. Plant Sci., 2016; doi:10.1007/s10265-016-0859-3.
- Frankel, O. H., Brown, A. H. D. and Burdon, J. J., The Conservation of Plant Biodiversity, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, 1995.
- Uma Shaanker, R., Ganeshaiah, K. N., Nageswara Rao, M. and Ravikanth, G., Forest gene banks – a new integrated approach for the conservation of forest tree genetic resources, In Managing Plant Genetic Resources (eds Engels, J. M. M., Brown, A. H. D. and Jackson, M. T.), CABI Publishing, Wallingford, Oxford shire, UK, 2002, pp. 229–235.
- Arun Kumar, A. N., Joshi, G. and Mohan Ram, H. Y., Sandalwood: history, uses, present status and the future. Curr. Sci., 2012, 103(12), 1408–1416.
Abstract Views: 501
PDF Views: 148