Campaign to Save Endangered Species

Become a family of environmental leaders with these ideas on the process of designing a social action campaign to educate your community about the plight of endangered species and actions they can take to help ensure Earth is a healthy place for all living things.

Conservation

Image of a student at a protest holding a black and white hand drawn poster with Earth in the center and the text there is no planet b on it.

Photograph by NurPhoto / Getty Images

A social action campaign is a positive, organized, and active effort to educate others about an issue and ask them to take action. Effective campaigns not only inform but evoke the passion campaigners have for something they want to change. Social action campaigns have led to action in a variety of fields, including wildlife conservation. One example is the yellow-shouldered Amazon parrot ( Amazona barbadensis ), whose population rose on the island of Bonaire after a social action campaign, reforestation efforts, and efforts to educate the public, were initiated.

Climate strike poster done on cardboard in black and yellow paint that says to be or not to bee.

Design a Campaign Poster

Work together as a family to create a social action campaign poster to raise awareness about the plight of an endangered species that encourages the viewer to take a specific action. Start by selecting an endangered species to build your campaign poster around. As a family, research examples of campaign posters for inspiration. Decide on a catchy phrase for your poster to grab your audience’s attention and quickly make your point. Then create a rough sketch on scrap paper of the poster’s design to ensure that the text and image of your species is placed the way you want it. Make notes about what colors you want to use and the style of lettering. After completing your poster, plan to place it where it can be displayed for maximum reach.

A dump truck unloads its waste in a recycling facility

Research, Research, Research

Great, effective campaigns are built on facts. As a family, vote on an endangered species to research. Then work together to find five to ten facts about that species. Your facts might cover the species’ physical characteristics, habitat, food, the threats it faces to survival, and any existing efforts underway to protect that species and its habitat.

Image of a student at a protest holding a black and white hand drawn poster with Earth in the center and the text there is no planet b on it.

Research Existing Campaigns

Select an endangered species your family would like to help. Then research groups and individuals who are working to protect those species. Make notes as you go. What actions do these individuals or organizations take to protect that species? What can you do in your area to help? How can you help them raise awareness and encourage others to take action?

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Last Updated

October 19, 2023

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RSTV: IN DEPTH- ENDANGERED SPECIES

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Introduction:

Three endangered species from India – the Great Indian Bustard, the Asiatic elephant and the Bengal Florican – will be included in a special global list for protection under the Convention on Conservation of Migratory Species. It will be done at the 13th conference of parties that will be held from February 15th-22nd at Gandhinagar, Gujarat. The theme of COP13 is ‘Migratory species connect the planet and we welcome them home’ and its mascot is the Great Indian Bustard. These birds are dying at the rate of 15 per cent annually due to collision with high-voltage power lines. In the last 30 years, their population has reduced drastically by nearly 75 percent. Their inclusion in the list of species for protection under the CMS will enable range countries to protect and conserve these migratory birds. Besides, seven other species have also been proposed by different countries to be included in the global protection list. Which are these species of birds and animals that will be included in the global list of protection and what is the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals.

  • As an environmental treaty of the United Nations, CMS provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats. CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.

As the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species, their habitats and migration routes, CMS… Read more »

  • As an environmental treaty of the United Nations , CMS provides a global platform for the conservation and sustainable use of migratory animals and their habitats.
  • CMS brings together the States through which migratory animals pass, the Range States, and lays the legal foundation for internationally coordinated conservation measures throughout a migratory range.
  • As the only global convention specializing in the conservation of migratory species , their habitats and migration routes, CMS complements and co-operates with a number of other international organizations, NGOs and partners in the media as well as in the corporate sector.
  • Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed on Appendix I of the Convention. CMS Parties strive towards strictly protecting these animals, conserving or restoring the places where they live, mitigating obstacles to migration and controlling other factors that might endanger them. Besides establishing obligations for each State joining the Convention, CMS promotes concerted action among the Range States of many of these species.
  • Migratory species that need or would significantly benefit from international co-operation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention. For this reason, the Convention encourages the Range States to conclude global or regional agreements.
  • In this respect, CMS acts as a framework Convention. The agreements may range from legally binding treaties (called Agreements) to less formal instruments, such as Memoranda of Understanding, and can be adapted to the requirements of particular regions. The development of models tailored according to the conservation needs throughout the migratory range is a unique capacity to CMS.

What are migratory species? Why protect them?

  • Migratory species are those animals that move from one habitat to another during different times of the year, due to various factors such as food, sunlight, temperature, climate, etc.
  • The movement between habitats, can sometimes exceed thousands of miles/kilometres for some migratory birds and mammals. A migratory route can involve nesting and also requires the availability of habitats before and after each migration.
  • The Conference of the Parties (COP) is the principal decision making body of the Convention as set out in Article VII of the CMS text.
  • It meets once every three years and sets the budget and priorities of the following three years (the triennium).
  • It also decides on the amendment of the Appendices and considers reports submitted by the Parties, the Scientific Council and the Agreements established under the Convention. It also has the task of recommending to Parties whether they should conclude further regional Agreements for the conservation of particular species or groups of species.
  • The Thirteenth Meeting of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS COP13) together with the associated meetings of the Standing Committee will be held in Gandhinagar from 15 to 22 February 2020.
  • Theme: “ Migratory species connect the planet and together we welcome them home ”

Man Biggest Enemy of Wildlife:

Living planet report:

  • It is published every 2 years by WWF .
  • It is based on the ‘Living Planet Index’ and ‘Ecological footprint calculations’.
  • The ‘Living Planet Index’ is an indicator of the state of global biological diversity managed by Zoological Society of London (ZSL) and WWF.
  • Ecological footprint is the biologically productive area needed to provide for everything used by people: fruits and vegetables, fish, wood, fibres, absorption of CO 2 from fossil fuels use, and space for buildings and roads. It is currently developed by Global Footprint Network (an independent think-tank). The GHG footprint and carbon footprint are a component of Ecological Footprint.
  • Humanity’s Ecological Footprint for 2014 was 1.7 planet Earth’s. This meant that humanity’s demands were 1.7 times faster than what the Earth’s ecosystems renewed.
  • It is a science-based analysis on the health of Earth and the impact of human activity.
  • The 2018 report has found a decline of 60% in population sizes of vertebrate species from 1970 to 2014. The tropics of South and Central America had an 89% loss compared to 1970.
  • Issues like Ocean acidification, loss of corals, increasing Carbon in the atmosphere, species disappearance due to habitat loss and degradation, etc are highlighted in the 2018 report.
  • Increasing use of plastics that ultimately reaches the oceans and seas via rivers is also a cause for deaths of marine organisms.
  • The latest report calls for new goals post-2020 alongside Convention on Biological Diversity , the Paris Climate Agreement and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Wildlife Protection Act, 1972 :

  • The act provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants and matters connected with them, with a view to ensure the ecological and environmental security of India.
  • It provides for prohibition on use of animal traps except under certain circumstances
  • It provides for protection of hunting rights of the Scheduled Tribes in Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  • Has provisions for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora ( CITES )
  • Species listed in Schedule I and part II of Schedule II get absolute protection — offences under these are prescribed the highest penalties
  • Species listed in Schedule III and Schedule IV are also protected, but the penalties are much lower
  • Schedule V includes the animals which may be hunted
  • The plants in Schedule VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting
  • provides guidelines for framing policies and advising Central and State Government on promotion of wildlife conservation and controlling poaching and illegal trade of wildlife and its products;
  • Making recommendations for setting up and managing national parks, sanctuaries and other protected areas ; and
  • Suggesting measures for improvement of wildlife conservation.
  • It also sets up National Tiger Conservation Authority.
  • The acts sets up various provisions related to trade and penalties for hunting the animals in wild.
  • Sanctuaries: The State or Central Government may by notification declare its intention to constitute any area as a sanctuary for protecting wildlife and the environment. The government determines the nature and extent of rights of persons in or over the land within the sanctuary.
  • The State or Central Government may declare an area, whether inside a sanctuary or not, as a national park for the purpose of protecting and developing wildlife and its environment.
  • The State Government cannot alter the boundaries of a national park except on the recommendation of the National Board for Wildlife.
  • No grazing is allowed inside a national park.
  • All provisions applicable to a sanctuary are also applicable to a national park.
  • Conservation Reserves: The State Government after consultations with local communities can declare any area owned by the Government , particularly areas adjacent to national parks or sanctuaries, as conservation reserves. The government constitutes a Conservation Reserve Management Committee to manage and conserve the conservation reserve.
  • Community Reserves: The State Government can, in consultation with the community or an individual who have volunteered to conserve wildlife, declare any private or community land as community reserve . A Community Reserve Management Committee shall be constituted by State Government for conserving and managing the reserve.
  • Tiger Reserve: These areas were reserved for protection tiger in the country. The State Government on the recommendation of the Tiger Conservation Authority may notify an area as a tiger reserve, for which it has to prepare a Tiger Conservation Plan.

National Wildlife Action Plan:

  • The NWAP 2017-31, under which there are 250 projects, is India’s road map to conserve wildlife for the next 15 years. The plan is woven around the agenda of the United Nations’ 15th Sustainable Developmental Goal — “Life on Land” .
  • The key strategic changes in the new plan is adopting a “landscape approach” in conservation of all the wildlife — uncultivated flora (plants) and undomesticated fauna (animals) — rather than the areas where they occur.
  • This means that while till now programmes and plans related to wildlife were focused on and around national parks and sanctuaries, now the strategies would be based on the landscape of the region that may not be limited to a reserve forest system alone.
  • The plan has been divided into five components, which are further divided into 17 themes carrying 103 conservation actions. Each theme has a set of conservation actions and projects — 250, in all.
  • Man-animal conflict mitigation, adapting to the climate change, managing eco-tourism, ensuring public participation in the conservation, developing human resources, strengthening research and monitoring through modern technology like radio collars and drones and ensuring funds for the wildlife sector have been given special thrust in the planning.
  • The plan adopts a “landscape approach” in conservation of all wildlife – uncultivated flora and fauna – that have an ecological value to the ecosystem and to mankind irrespective of where they occur. It gives special emphasis to recovery of threatened species of wildlife while conserving their habitats.
  • The government has also underlined an increased role of private sector in wildlife conservation. The plan lays down that the Centre would ensure that adequate and sustained funding including Corporate Social Responsibility funds are made available for the National Wildlife Action Plan implementation.

The factors responsible for the extinction of flora and fauna across the world are as follows

  • Overexploitation of species : either for human consumption, use, elaboration of by-products, or for sport. Poaching has been a major threat which is going on unabated.
  • Habitat destruction : People directly destroy habitat include filling in wetlands, dredging rivers, mowing fields, and cutting down trees. Commercial activities like mining, quarrying has destroyed many eco-sensitive zones. Example : Iron ore mining in the Western Ghats of India.
  • Habitat fragmentation: Much of the remaining terrestrial wildlife habitat has been cut up into fragments by roads and development. Aquatic species’ habitats have been fragmented by dams and water diversions . These fragments of habitat may not be large or connected enough to support species that need a large territory where they can find mates and food . Also, the loss and fragmentation of habitats makes it difficult for migratory species to find places to rest and feed along their migration routes .
  • Habitat degradation: Pollution, invasive species, and disruption of ecosystem processes (such as changing the intensity of fires in an ecosystem) are some of the ways habitats can become so degraded they can no longer support native wildlife.
  • As climate change alters temperature and weather patterns, it also impacts plant and animal life. Scientists expect that the number and range of species, which define biodiversity, will decline greatly as temperatures continue to rise.
  • The burning of fossil fuels for energy and animal agriculture are two of the biggest contributors to global warming, along with deforestation.
  • As people increase their level of income, they consume more meat and dairy products. The populations of industrial countries consume twice as much meat as those in developing countries. Worldwide meat production has tripled over the last four decades and increased 20 percent in just the last ten years .
  • Reduced Diversity: Biological homogenization qualifies as a global environmental catastrophe. The Earth has never witnessed such a broad and complete reorganization of species distribution, in which animals and plants (and other organisms for that matter) have been translocated on a global scale around the planet.
  • Humans are directing evolution in numerous other ways as well, manipulating genomes by artificial selection and molecular techniques, and indirectly by managing ecosystems and populations to conserve them.
  • In countries around the world, policies have been enacted that have led to extinction or near extinction of specific species, such large predators in the US and Europe.
  • Chemical products associated with agriculture or other productive processes have affected many species such as honeybees and other pollinators.

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Protecting Endangered Species

Still Only One Earth: Lessons from 50 years of UN sustainable development policy

Despite continued conservation efforts, the status of many endangered species remains unchanged. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS) are the primary treaties tasked with protection of endangered species. But moving forward, species conservation efforts should expand to include lesser known species that serve important ecosystem services. ( Download PDF ) ( See all policy briefs ) ( Subscribe to ENB )

The Persian leopard (Panthera pardus tulliana), the largest subspecies of leopards, used to roam widely across Central Asia and the Caucasus. They are large spotted cats—about five feet in length—with slender hindquarters and long, thick tails. Both male and female leopards lead solitary lives, though they come together during winter mating. They are very territorial, patrolling wide home ranges to scent-mark trees, shrubs, and rocks. The leopard inhabits a wide variety of habitats: from mountain crags up to 3,000 meters in elevation, to grasslands and cold desert ecosystems, with a preference for cliff and rocky areas, as well as juniper and pistachio woodlands that give them cover for hunting.

During the past century, human-wildlife conflict, indiscriminate killing of their prey, habitat loss, and bounties incentivizing their killing have reduced their historic range by 72-84% (Jacobson et al., 2016). Today, according to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species—the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of species and subspecies, which uses a set of defined criteria to evaluate their extinction risk (Rodrigues et al., 2006)—the Persian leopard is endangered.

The story of the Persian leopard is the story of many species pushed by human action to the brink of extinction. Strong conservation measures can still reverse the course for some species. For many others, it is too late.

During the past century, human-wildlife conflict, indiscriminate killing of their prey, habitat loss, and bounties incentivizing their killing have reduced the leopard’s historic range by 72-84% JACOBSON ET AL., 2016

The foundations of global species conservation measures date back to the 1972 Stockholm Conference on the Human Environment . Principle 2 of the Stockholm Declaration says “the natural resources of the earth, including the air, water, land, flora and fauna and especially representative samples of natural ecosystems, must be safeguarded for the benefit of present and future generations.” Principle 4 reads “Man has a special responsibility to safeguard and wisely manage the heritage of wildlife and its habitat, which are now gravely imperilled by a combination of adverse factors.”

Among the 109 recommendations found in the Stockholm Action Plan , Recommendation 99 calls for the preparation and adoption of an international treaty to regulate international trade in certain species of wild plants and animals. This treaty, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), had been drafted as a result of a resolution adopted in 1963 at a meeting of members of IUCN. As a result of the push provided by the Stockholm Conference, the Convention was finally adopted at a meeting of representatives of 80 countries in Washington, D.C. on 3 March 1973.

Leopard

There are a few other relevant recommendations. Recommendation 29 draws attention to species of wildlife that may serve as indicators for future wide environmental disturbances. Recommendation 30 emphasizes drawing attention to the situation of animals endangered by their trade value. The Stockholm Declaration and Action Plan also legitimized the role of IUCN and especially the Red List, which had been established in 1964. In fact, IUCN was one of the few environmental organizations formally involved in the preparations of the Stockholm Conference and in the drafting and implementation of the three conventions that followed it: the Convention Concerning the Protection of World Cultural and Natural Heritage (1972), CITES, and the Ramsar Convention on Wetlands of International Importance (1971).

What are Endangered Species: The Role of the IUCN Red List

Since its establishment, the IUCN Red List has been the key tool to assess the status of species and catalyze action for conservation and policy change. Through the List’s rigorous assessment processes, experts linked to the IUCN Species Survival Commission’s specialist groups collect information on a species’ range, population size, habitat and ecology, use and/or trade, threats, and conservation actions that inform necessary conservation decisions.

The assessments published in the IUCN Red List are used by governments, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs), and multilateral environmental agreements. The assessments drive conservation action and funding, albeit still in insufficient ways to always ensure saving species. In fact, Betts et al. (2020) noted that without successful communication between species experts, academics, policymakers, funders, and practitioners, IUCN Red List assessments may not lead to development and implementation of conservation action plans.

Irrawaddy dolphin

The IUCN Red List has nine categories to indicate how close a species is to becoming extinct. The closest to extinction is the “critically endangered” category, with a species example being the Asiatic cheetah (Acinonyx jubatus venaticus), a subspecies found only in Iran that has dwindled to fewer than 50 animals remaining in the wild. The least critical category is defined as “least concern.” For example, the global brown bear (Ursus arctos) population is considered to be of “least concern” because it is large and spread over three continents, even though there are some local populations that are under threat. The categories in the middle, i.e., “vulnerable” and “endangered,” are for species considered under threat.

In other words, if a species is either critically endangered, endangered, or vulnerable, it is in popular terms “endangered.”

This mismatch between the technical terms of the IUCN Red List and common language can lead to confusion. In 2016, a re-assessment of the snow leopard prompted an outcry from some members of the conservation community due the species’ being reclassified from endangered to vulnerable (McCarthy et al., 2016). Their anger was echoed by members of the public, in part because they did not understand “being vulnerable” under IUCN Red List criteria still means at high risk of extinction.

The way a species is assessed under the IUCN Red List can also determine whether such species deserve protection under two international treaties aimed at species conservation: CITES and the Convention on Migratory Species of Wild Animals (CMS). Listing an endangered species under either of these two conventions can catalyze further action and, possibly, save a species from extinction (Zahler & Rosen, 2013).

Without successful communication between species experts, academics, policy makers, funders, and practitioners, IUCN Red List assessment may not lead to development and implementation of conservation action plans. BETTS ET AL. (2020)

IUCN red list infographic

Regulating the Protection of Endangered Species

CITES and CMS are the key conventions tasked with regulating protection of endangered species.

CITES regulates international trade and therefore looks at the impact of trade on species conservation. Annually, international wildlife trade is estimated to be worth billions of dollars and to include hundreds of millions of plant and animal specimens. The trade is diverse, ranging from live animals and plants to an array of products derived from them, including food, exotic leather goods, wooden musical instruments, timber, tourist curios, and medicines. Since trade in wild animals and plants crosses borders between countries, the effort to regulate it requires international cooperation to safeguard certain species from over-exploitation. Today, CITES accords varying degrees of protection to more than 37,000 species of animals and plants, whether they are traded as live specimens, fur coats, or dried herbs (CITES, n.d.)

In the language of CITES, species listed under Appendix I are considered threatened with extinction and afforded the highest level of protection, including restrictions on commercial trade. Examples of the 931 species currently listed under Appendix 1 include gorillas (Gorilla sp.), tigers (Panthera tigris), and snow leopards (Panthera uncia). Appendix II includes species that, while currently not threatened with extinction, may become so without trade controls. It also includes species that resemble other listed species and must be regulated to effectively control the trade in those other listed species. Currently 34,419 species are listed under Appendix II, including saiga antelope (Saiga tatarica), wolf (Canis lupus), argali sheep (Ovis ammon), and kiang (Equus kiang). Appendix III includes a list of wildlife and plant species identified by particular CITES parties as being in need of international trade controls.

The purpose of CMS is conservation of migratory species, their habitats, and migration routes. “Migratory” is broadly defined as species that straddle international borders (Lewis & Trouwborst, 2019). Migratory species threatened with extinction are listed in Appendix I of the Convention. Appendix I listing is a mechanism to promote conservation measures called, in CMS terminology, “Concerted Action” among the range states of the listed species. CMS parties commit to ensure strict protections under national laws and conserving their habitats, mitigating obstacles to migration, among other threats. Migratory species viewed as benefiting from international cooperation are listed in Appendix II of the Convention (CMS, n.d.). To date, seven specialized regional agreements and 19 memoranda of understanding have been concluded for Appendix II species under the CMS.

Representative Frameworks for the Conservation of Endangered Species

The development of models tailored to conservation needs throughout migratory ranges is a unique feature of the CMS. Along these lines, there are two important initiatives benefiting endangered species in Africa and Central Asia under the CMS umbrella.

One is the Central Asian Mammals Initiative (CAMI) and its associated Programme of Work. Established in 2014, CAMI aims to strengthen the conservation of Central Asian migratory mammals through a common framework to coordinate conservation activities in the region and coherently address major threats to migratory species. By developing an initiative for Central Asian mammals, CMS is catalyzing collaboration between all stakeholders, with the aim of harmonizing and strengthening the implementation of the Convention (Rosen & Roettger, 2014). One of the most recent projects under CAMI is the proposed development of a regional strategy for the conservation of the Persian leopard.

The Joint CITES-CMS African Carnivores Initiative (ACI), established in 2017, stems from the recognition of the importance of synergies and coordination of measures toward species that are protected under both Conventions. Supported by IUCN Species Survival Commission ’s specialist groups, the Secretariats are tasked to drive effective conservation of African lion, leopard, cheetah, and wild dog, and help avoid duplicate activities and associated costs, and generate funding.

By developing an initiative for Central Asian mammals, CMS is catalyzing collaboration between all stakeholders, with the aim of harmonizing and strengthening the implementation of the Convention ROSEN & ROETTGER, 2014

There are also two other important frameworks, each focused on the conservation of single species. One is the Global Tiger Initiative Council (GTIC), and the other is the Global Snow Leopard Ecosystem Protection Program (GSLEP).

GTIC was originally set up as the Global Tiger Initiative (GTI), a global alliance of governments, international organizations, NGOs, and the private sector, with the goal to save tigers from extinction. Established by the World Bank, the Global Environment Facility (GEF), the Smithsonian Institution, Save the Tiger Fund, and International Tiger Coalition (representing more than 40 NGOs), the initiative is led by the 13 tiger range countries. The St. Petersburg Declaration , adopted in 2010 at the Tiger Summit in Russia, defines the priorities.

GSLEP, propelled by GTI and established in 2013, is driven by 12 snow leopard range states, NGOs, and international organizations, which sit on a steering committee. The foundation of the GSLEP is 12 individual National Snow Leopard and Ecosystems Priorities (NSLEPs). Under GSLEP, specific activities are grouped under broad themes that correspond to the commitments of the Bishkek Declaration adopted at the 2013 Global Snow Leopard Conservation Forum (Zakharenka et al., 2016).

Some of these initiatives have successfully catalyzed attention, resources, and conservation action. They have received a high level of political attention, especially GTI in Russia and GSLEP in Kyrgyzstan, as respective hosts of the Tiger Summit and Snow Leopard Forum. However, some conservationists argue, especially in relation to tigers, that results have fallen short, and lack of transparency and accountability is compromising progress in tiger conservation efforts. Slappendel (2021) writes that “tiger-range countries are responsible for making tiger conservation efforts and holding themselves accountable for their methods and results. There’s no authority above them, so they can do whatever they want.

Tiger

While the reach and influence of CAMI and ACI are more limited compared to GTI and GSLEP, they have also generated important resources for conservation and could likely have a stronger policy-driving role in the future.

Generally, these four frameworks serve as important examples for directing donor resources.

The Role of UN Agencies and Donors

The GEF, established in 1992, is the largest multilateral fund focused on enabling developing countries to invest in nature. It supports the implementation of major international environmental conventions including on biodiversity, climate change, chemicals, and desertification. Endangered species prioritized under CITES and CMS, such as GTI and GSLEP, are also prioritized for GEF funding.

In 2010, the GEF indicated it would provide up to USD 50 million in grants to save the tiger through contributions to be invested by developing countries using their GEF allocations in biodiversity, supplemented by investments from its REDD+ Program (reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation in developing countries, and the role of conservation, sustainable use of forests, and enhancement of carbon stocks) (GEF, 2010). Since 1991, the GEF has invested nearly USD 100 million toward snow leopard projects implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). The GSLEP Forum in 2013 catalyzed nine further GEF-financed, UNDP-implemented projects, representing an investment of about USD 45 million to support snow leopard range countries. These nine projects also leveraged over USD 200 million in co-financing from national and international partners (UNDP, 2016).

UNDP has emerged as one of the key implementing UN agencies when it comes to endangered species and conservation projects more broadly. The United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) has also spearheaded initiatives for the conservation of endangered species, such as Vanishing Treasures . This EUR 9 million project, funded by the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, seeks to better understand the vulnerability to climate change of the snow leopard, tiger, and gorilla and the ecosystems being affected.

Why Do Many Species Continue to be Endangered?

The Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) warned in its Global Assessment Report on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services that “nature is declining globally at rates unprecedented in human history—and the rate of species extinctions is accelerating” (IPBES, 2019).

Despite continued conservation efforts, the status of many endangered species remains unchanged—including tigers, lions, and cheetahs. The question is: Why? With our growing knowledge of the fragility of the planet’s ecosystems, why are we pushing entire species out of existence?

The limited amount of funding benefiting species research and conservation is one reason. Often these funds are short term, whereas to really see progress and results, a longer funding commitment is necessary. Some projects are also too narrowly focused on protection and enforcement, without seeking ways local communities can be part of the solution. Likewise, some projects do not address root causes of decline.

But there are also issues of capacity. In many countries that provide habitat for endangered species, there is limited technical capacity to protect such species. Local and national conservation organizations also would benefit from greater capacity building.

At the national level, species conservation may not be prioritized. This is often reflected in ministries tasked with both environment and agriculture or economic and mining issues—with the latter issues prioritized over conservation. Species conservation also does not operate in a vacuum, but must be considered alongside mechanisms to address threats to their survival, which may be exacerbated by conflicting development goals. For example, a development project aimed at improving access to water, through building dams and irrigation channels, may hurt access by salmon species to spawning grounds or damage riparian habitat. Finally, conservation organizations—with their own agendas and issues of competition for funding that leads to lack of cooperation—sometimes fail to create better synergies for conservation.

There are also many other endangered species that are not as well known or do not have the appeal of more popular endangered species, such as snow leopards or tigers. Some of these species have disappeared from large swaths of their range, including the striped hyaena (Hyaena hyaena), which can no longer be found in parts of Central Asia and Caucasus regions. The lesser-known Saint Lucia racer (Erythrolamprus ornatus), listed as Critically Endangered, numbers fewer than 20 individuals and is considered one of the rarest snakes in the world. Similarly, the Daguo Mulian tree (Magnolia grandis) is listed as critically endangered due to habitat loss for agricultural expansion and logging.

Moving Forward

Protecting iconic endangered species is still important for promoting policies and measures that can benefit entire ecosystems and many other endangered species. Nevertheless, species conservation efforts must expand to include many more species that are lesser known and serve important ecosystem services. Such efforts should also create incentives for local communities to conserve them, including through sustainable use when that is recognized as the only or the most effective measure. Finally, greater financial resources have to be allocated. Many hope the post-2020 global biodiversity framework will help guide the most pressing actions to keep entire species from being erased from our shared world.

Works Consulted

Betts, J., Young, R. P., Hilton-Taylor, C., Hoffmann, M., Rodríguez, J. P., Stuart, S. N., & Milner-Gulland, E. J. (2020). A framework for evaluating the impact of the IUCN Red List of threatened species. Conservation Biology: The Journal of the Society for Conservation Biology, 34(3), 632–643. doi.org/10.1111/cobi.13454

Convention on International Trade of Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora. (n.d.). What is CITES? cites.org/eng/disc/what.php

Convention on the Conservation of Migratory Species of Wild Animals. (n.d.). CMS. cms.int/en/legalinstrument/cms

Global Environment Facility. (2010). Global Environment Facility to support $50 million in grants to save the tiger. thegef.org/newsroom/news/global-environmentfacility-support-50-million-grants-save-tiger

Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. (2019). Global assessment report on biodiversity and ecosystem services of the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services. doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.3831673

Jacobson, A.P., Gerngross, P., Lemeris, Jr., J.R., Schoonover, R.F., Anco, C., Breitenmoser-Würsten, C., Durant, S.M., Farhadinia, M.S., Henschel, P., Kamler, J.F., Laguardia, A., Rostro-García, S., Stein, A.B., & Dollar, L. (2016). Leopard (Panthera pardus) status, distribution, and the research efforts across its range. PeerJ 4:e1974. doi.org/10.7717/peerj.1974

Lewis, M., & Trouwborst, A. (2019). Large carnivores and the Convention on Migratory Species (CMS)—definitions, sustainable use, added value, and other emerging issues. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 7. frontiersin.org/article/10.3389/fevo.2019.00491

McCarthy, T., Mallon, D., Jackson, R., Zahler, P., & McCarthy, K. (2017). Panthera uncia. The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species 2017. Panthera uncia (Snow Leopard) (iucnredlist.org)

Rodrigues, A.S.L., Pilgrim, J.D., Lamoreux, J.F., Hoffmann, M., & Brooks, T.M. (2006). The value of the IUCN Red List for conservation. Trends in Ecology & Evolution 21(2), 71-76. doi.org/10.1016/j. tree.2005.10.010

Rosen, T., & Roettger, C. (2014). Central Asian Mammals Initiative: Saving the last migrations. CMS. cms.int/sites/default/files/publication/Central_Asian_Mammals_Initiative.pdf

Slappendel, C. (2021). What’s stopping some countries from keeping up with tiger conservation promises? Commentary. Mongabay news.mongabay.com/2021/11/whats-stopping-some-countries-from-keeping-up-with-tiger-conservationpromises-commentary/

UNDP. (2016). Silent Roar - UNDP and GEF in the snow leopard landscape. undp.org/publications/silent-roar-undpand-gef-snow-leopard-landscape

Zahler, P., & Rosen, T. (2013). Endangered mammals. Encyclopedia of Biodiversity. Elsevier.

Zakharenka, A., Sharma, K., Kochorov, C., Rutherford, B., Varma, K., Seth, A., Kushlin, A., Lumpkin, S., Seidensticker, J., Laporte, B., Tichomirow, B., Jackson, R. M., Mishra, C., Abdiev, B., Modaqiq, A. W., Wangchuk, S., Zhongtian, Z., Khanduri, S. K., Duisekeyev, B., … Yunusov, N. (2016). The Global Snow Leopard and Ecosystem Protection Program. Snow Leopards, 559–573. doi.org/10.1016/b978-0-12-802213-9.00045-6

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Pakistan's development model has still not recognised the limits of the natural environment and the damage it would cause, if violated, to the sustainability of development and to the health and well-being of its population. Pakistan’s environment journey began with Stockholm Declaration in 1972. A delegation led by Nusrat Bhutto represented the country at the Stockholm meeting, resulting in the establishment of the Urban Affairs Division (UAD), the precursor of today’s Ministry of Climate Change. In setting the country’s environmental agenda, we were inspired by the Stockholm Principles, but in reality, we have mostly ignored them for the last five decades.

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Survey.Whitecastle.com In the depths of the Amazon rainforest, a dazzling natural phenomenon remains largely unexplored by the world - the world of bioluminescent mushrooms. These remarkable fungi, which emit an ethereal glow in the darkness of the forest, have captured the imagination of scientists and nature enthusiasts alike. In this article, we delve into the fascinating world of bioluminescent mushrooms and the mysteries they hold. Survey.Walmart.com Survey.Walmart.ca The Secret of Illumination Survey.bartelldrugs.com subwaylistens Bioluminescence is a phenomenon observed in various organisms, including fireflies and certain species of jellyfish. However, the bioluminescent properties of mushrooms are a less-understood aspect of this intriguing natural occurrence. The primary compound responsible for the mesmerizing glow in these fungi is luciferin, the same molecule found in fireflies. When luciferin reacts with oxygen and an enzyme called luciferase, it produces light as a byproduct. www.slimchickenlistens.com searsfeedback Mushrooms in the Dark rosslistens publixsurvey One of the most captivating aspects of bioluminescent mushrooms is their ability to light up the forest floor, creating an otherworldly spectacle in the heart of the jungle. This unique adaptation is thought to have several functions, including attracting insects to aid in spore dispersal and deterring herbivores. The exact ecological role of this bioluminescence is an area of ongoing research and debate among scientists. potbellylistens Hidden Diversity While a few species of bioluminescent mushrooms have been well-documented, it's believed that many more remain undiscovered in the world's remote and uncharted forests. Recent expeditions to the Amazon have revealed new species with various patterns and colors of bioluminescence, adding to the diversity of these remarkable organisms. Conservation Challenges The enchanting glow of bioluminescent mushrooms faces a threat from habitat destruction and climate change. Protecting the ecosystems where these fungi thrive is crucial for their survival. Conservation efforts are underway to preserve the biodiversity of the Amazon rainforest, which is home to many of these enigmatic mushrooms. The Quest for Knowledge Scientific interest in bioluminescent mushrooms continues to grow, with researchers striving to unlock the secrets of their glow and understand their role in the intricate web of life in the rainforest. As our understanding of these fungi deepens, they may hold the key to advancements in biotechnology, medicine, and environmental conservation. In conclusion, the world of bioluminescent mushrooms is a captivating and mysterious realm that offers a glimpse into the wonders of nature. As researchers continue to explore and study these fascinating fungi, we can only imagine what other secrets they may reveal, and what lessons they may teach us about the importance of preserving our planet's diverse ecosystems.

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

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RSTV topic on “Endangered Species” for UPSC/IAS – Diligent IAS 24/06/2020 – Posted in: RSTV – Tags: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) , endangered species , IUCN Red List , Wildlife Protection Act 1972

Endangered species.

Endangered Species

The endangered species (EN) is a population of organisms threatened with extinction because it is very small or threatened by changes in environmental or predation parameters. It could also mean that due to deforestation there may be a lack of food and / or water. Consequently, it is considered to face a very high risk of extinction in the wild.

A species becomes extinct when the last extant member of that species dies. Consequently, extinction becomes a certainty when there is no surviving individual who can reproduce and create a new generation.

A species can be functionally extinct when only a handful of individuals survive, which cannot reproduce due to health problems, age, dispersed distribution over a wide range, lack of individuals of both sexes or for other reasons.

Reasons for the extinction of species

  • The main reasons for the extinction are of natural or human origin. Thanks to evolution, new species emerge through the process of speciation and the species disappear when they can no longer survive in changing conditions or against greater competition.
  • A typical species dies within 10 million years of its first appearance, although some species, called living fossils, survive virtually unchanged for hundreds of millions of years.
  • However, extinction is generally a natural phenomenon; It is estimated that 99.9% of all species that have lived have now disappeared.
  • Several anthropogenic activities that causes extinction are artificial reasons. It is only recently that scientists have been alarmed by the high rates of recent extinctions due to various anthropogenic activities.

IUCN Red List

  • The IUCN Red List of Endangered Species founded in 1964, is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the state conservation of biological species. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s leading authority on the conservation status of species.
  • Over 77,300 species have been assessed on the IUCN Red List.
  • According to the latest information on the IUCN Red List 2019:
  • 41% of amphibians are threatened
  • 33% of coral reefs are in the threat category.

IUCN objectives

The International Union for Conservation of Nature works to achieve the following objectives:

  • Provide scientific data on the state of species and subspecies in the world.
  • Address the factors of concern and spread awareness of species and the extinction of biodiversity.
  • Plan a design for biodiversity conservation.

Wildlife Protection Act 1972

  • The law provides for the protection of wild animals, birds and plants and related matters, in order to guarantee the ecological and environmental security of India.
  • It prohibits the use of animal traps, except in certain circumstances.
  • Protects the hunting rights of the tribes listed in the Andaman and Nicobar Islands
  • It contains provisions for the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES)
  • It has six appendices that offer different degrees of protection.
  • The species listed in Appendix I and in Part II of Appendix II benefit from absolute protection: the crimes covered by these penalties are punished with the most severe penalties
  • Species included in Appendices III and IV are also protected, but the penalties are much lower.
  • Annex V includes animals that can be hunted.
  • The plants in Annex VI are prohibited from cultivation and planting.

Several types of protected areas can be notified in law, namely:

  • Sanctuaries: The state or central government may, by notification, declare its intention to establish an area as a sanctuary to protect wildlife and the environment. The government determines the nature and extent of the rights of people in or on the sanctuary lands.
  • National parks: The state or central government can declare an area, whether inside a sanctuary or not, as a national park for the purpose of protecting and developing wildlife and its environment. The state government cannot change the boundaries of a national park unless recommended by the National Wildlife Board. Grazing is not allowed inside a national park.
  • Conservation reserves: The state government, after consulting the local communities, can declare any area belonging to the government, in particular the areas adjacent to national parks or sanctuaries, as conservation reserves. The government establishes a conservation reserve management committee to manage and conserve the conservation reserve.
  • Community reserves: The state government may, in consultation with the community or a person who has volunteered to conserve wildlife, declare any private or community land as a community reserve. The state government will establish a community reserve management committee to conserve and manage the reserve.
  • Reserve of tigers: These zones were reserved for the protection of tigers in the country. The state government, on the recommendation of the Tiger Conservation Authority, can notify an area as a tiger reserve, for which it must prepare a tiger conservation plan.

The factors responsible for the extinction of the flora and fauna in the world are the following:

Over-exploitation of species

  • Either for human consumption, use, development of by-products or for sport. Poaching has been a great threat that continues endlessly.

Habitat loss

  • Habitat destruction: people who directly destroy habitat include filling wetlands, dredging rivers, cutting fields and cutting down trees. Commercial activities such as mining and quarrying have destroyed many ecologically sensitive areas. Example: iron ore extraction in the Western Ghats of India.
  • Habitat fragmentation: much of the remaining terrestrial terrestrial habitat has been cut into fragments by roads and development. The habitats of aquatic species have been fragmented by dams and water diversions. These habitat fragments may not be large enough or connected enough to support species that need a large territory where they can find companions and food.

Climate change

  • As climate change changes temperature and climate patterns, it also affects the lives of plants and animals. Scientists expect the amount and range of species, which define biodiversity, to decrease dramatically as temperatures continue to rise.
  • The combustion of fossil fuels for energy and animal agriculture are two of the main contributors to global warming, along with deforestation.
  • The spread of non-native species around the world: a single species (us) occupying a significant percentage of the physical space and production of the world; and the human actions that increasingly direct evolution.

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IUCN Red List

Latest Update – 

  • African Elephant species in March 2021 have been listed as ‘Endangered’ and ‘Critically Endangered’ in the IUCN Red List. IUCN published an assessment of the African Elephant population.
  • It was reported on December 1st, 2021 that the Whie-bellied sea eagle had only 22 nesting grounds in their native habitat as compared to 25 in the previous survey in 1996. As per the IUCN Red List, the species has undergone a 72.5% decline in numbers in the last 25 years.

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species (also known as the IUCN Red List or Red Data List), founded in 1964, is the world’s most comprehensive inventory of the global conservation status of biological species (Animal, fungus and plant species).

The  International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is the world’s main authority on the conservation status of species.

The recently updated status of species under IUCN is important for aspirants preparing for the civil services examination. Candidates must keep themselves updated with the daily current affairs to also be aware of the other animal species in news.

UPSC 2023

Latest Updates about IUCN Red List

  • African Forest Elephant – Critically Endangered
  • African Savannah Elephant – Endangered
  • Note – Earlier, these two elephants were treated as a single species and were listed as Vulnerable in the IUCN Red List.
  • The IUCN Red List now includes 134,425 species of which 37,480 are threatened with extinction.

Read about African Forest Elephants in the linked article.

IUCN Red List Assessment 2019-2022

The updated data will be provided here post the publication of the IUCN Red List 2022 (September 2021).

IUCN Red List:- Download PDF Here

A series of Regional Red Lists are produced by countries or organizations, which assess the risk of extinction to species within a political management unit. The IUCN Red List is based upon precise criteria to evaluate the rate of extinction of thousands of species and subspecies. These criteria are relevant to all species and all regions of the world.

The IUCN red list provides taxonomic data, conservation status, and distribution information on species that are facing a high risk of global extinction.

This is an important topic for UPSC and other government exams .

Objectives of IUCN

The International Union for Conservation of Nature works to achieve the following goals:

  • To provide scientific data on the status of species and subspecies at a global level.
  • To address the factors of concern and spread awareness regarding the species and biodiversity extinction.
  • To plan a layout for the conservation of biodiversity.

IUCN Red List Users

The IUCN Red List provides accurate data on the status of different species on the Earth.  This information is used by various departments, institutes, and organizations.

The users of the IUCN Red List are given below:

  • Government agencies (National & International)
  • Wildlife organizations and departments
  • Conservation-related NGOs
  • Natural resource planners
  • Educational organizations
  • Zoos and aquariums
  • Business communities

Purpose of the IUCN Red List Data

The information cited in the IUCN Red List is used by various organizations in the following ways:

  • International Agreements such as CITES, Ramsar Convention use the Red List data to make important decisions in sync with the status of nature as and when required.
  • World Bank Group performance standard uses the IUCN Red List data to evaluate the risk of damage to biodiversity due to large-scale infrastructures and global projects.
  • Zoos and National parks use this information to upgrade important policies like parks regulations from time to time.

Following are the 9 categories in the IUCN red list:

IUCN Red List - Critically Endangered species

  • Extinct (EX) – No known individuals remaining.
  • Extinct in the wild (EW) – Known only to survive in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its historic range.
  • Critically endangered (CR) – Extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
  • Endangered (EN) – High risk of extinction in the wild.
  • Vulnerable (VU) – High risk of endangerment in the wild.
  • Near threatened (NT) – Likely to become endangered soon.
  • Least concern (LC) – Lowest risk. Does not qualify for a more at-risk category. Widespread and abundant taxa are included in this category.
  • Data deficient (DD) – Not enough data to assess its risk of extinction.
  • Not evaluated (NE) – Has not yet been evaluated against the criteria

As a component of the IAS Prelims Syllabus , IUCN Red List and its divisions and categorisations for different animal species constitute an important topic. Thus, aspirants must accordingly update themselves with the related data.

List of critically endangered species in India as per IUCN Red List 2019-2022

The list of critically endangered species in India from various categories are given below:

Critically Endangered Mammals

  • Andaman White-toothed Shrew 
  • Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew 
  • Nicobar White-tailed Shrew 
  • Kondana Rat 
  • Large Rock Rat or Elvira Rat 
  • Namdapha Flying Squirrel 
  • Malabar Civet 
  • Sumatran Rhinoceros 
  • Javan Rhinoceros 

Critically Endangered Birds

  • Aythya Baeri
  • Forest Owlet
  • Great Indian Bustard
  • Bengal Florican
  • Siberian Crane
  • Spoon-billed Sandpiper
  • Sociable Lapwing
  • Jerdon’s Courser
  • White-backed Vulture
  • Red-headed Vulture
  • White-bellied Heron
  • Slender-billed Vulture
  • Indian Vulture
  • Pink-headed Duck
  • Himalayan Quail

Critically Endangered Reptiles

  • Hawksbill Turtle
  • River Terrapin
  •  Bengal Roof Turtle
  • Sispara day gecko 

Critically Endangered Fishes

  • Pondicherry Shark 
  • Ganges Shark 
  • Knife-tooth Sawfish 
  • Large-tooth Sawfish 
  • Narrow-snout Sawfish 

IUCN Conservation Plan

The strategy for the conservation of nature by IUCN is as follows:

  • Assess – Focus on monitoring species and informing the world about the status and trends of biodiversity, thus providing measures for the protection of our biosphere.
  • Plan – Aims to enhance collaborative and science-based strategies to ensure the most effective species conservation actions.
  • Act – Improve the status of biodiversity, by mobilizing actions involving governments, educational institutions, civil society, and the private sector.
  • Communicate – The effectiveness of IUCN’s species conservation work is enhanced through strategic and targeted communications.

From the perspective of biodiversity and environment and ecology as a subject of UPSC Mains , the conservation of all animal species and the initiatives being taken for their conservation must be known to the CSE aspirants.

Similar topics:

Frequently Asked Questions related to Endangered Species

How many critically endangered species are there in india, how many endangered species are there in 2021.

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The Best Campaigns of All Time to Save Vanishing Species

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

What does Jackie Chan, Paul McCartney and Prince William have in common? They have all spoken up about the plight of tigers and the urgent need to halt their decline [1] . Indeed, many personalities – from film stars and song writers to models and other celebrities – are doing their bit to raise awareness about vanishing species.

Each year a lot of effort goes into conserving species that are under tremendous threat of extinction. And yet despite those targeted efforts, overall rates of biodiversity loss are still increasing. In a recent study, experts discovered that for 58 percent of the world’s land surface the loss of biodiversity was serious enough to call into question its ability to sustain the 5.3 billion people who live there [2] .

So, does that mean that all our efforts are delivering no results at all? That is certainly not the case as these great campaigns to save the Earth’s vanishing species tell us! Let’s have a look at some of the best campaigns that organizations have put together.

What is being done to save endangered species?

Campaign #1: protecting the earth’s lungs, the amazon rainforest.

There are many projects supporting the Amazon , not least since it is home to one in ten known species and provides a home for 30 million people. Some of these projects look at individual species or areas but one of the most encompassing ones was the one mounted to create the Amazon Region Protected Areas (ARPA) .

The success of the programme so far can be attributed in the good planning, financing and management of the programme as well as the support of the local people. In the case of the ARPA, the programme is implemented by the Brazilian government, funded by the World Wildlife Fund (GEF) and managed by the World Bank, with partners like the German government, WWF and several international donors [4] .

The ARPA has greatly contributed to the great drop in the greenhouse gas emissions of Brazil as well as falling rates of deforestation. But the really big difference was how the ARPA involved and mobilized the local communities making people invested in its success. Even though the ARPA now funds 114 federal and state areas, the local communities always participate in the management and conservation of these areas.

The programme developed an innovative mechanism for managing protected areas which transfers small amounts of money to land managers. This type of systems results in positive effects as regards poverty eradication as well as preventing deforestation. What is more, the biodiversity monitoring system implemented in a few selected areas, directly involves the local populations in data collection [4] .

Campaign #2: Reviewing Europe’s Birds and Habitats Directives

It is not very often that someone talks about European Union Directives inciting public support and mobilization. This is not to say that EU legislation is not fundamental to our environment – from clean air and water to climate change and biodiversity – but oftentimes that legislation is seen as too technical.

Well, that was certainly not the case when after several decades of operation, the European Commission decided to open up two key pieces of EU law on birds and habitats.

The EU Birds and Habitats Directives protect the most precious parts of Europe’s nature and form the backbone of the Natura 2000 network of protected areas, which covers 18 percent of Europe’s land and six percent of its seas [5] .

These two pieces of legislation are therefore historical not only because they were the first EU laws on the environment but also because they introduced core principles of conservation. Fearing that reviewing the laws would lead to them being considerably watered down, environmental charities from across Europe mobilized their substantial networks and citizen support came pouring in.

Major awareness campaigns were coordinated by Birdlife Europe, the European Environmental Bureau, Friends of the Earth Europe, WWF Europe and over 120 European NGOs [6] and in December 2016 the EU announced that the ambition of the laws will remain intact but that an action plan would be developed to improve the implementation of the laws. The voice of citizens had been heard!

But the story does not end there: it is an important to follow the process and make sure the action plan developed will really deliver environmental protection for Europe’s most vulnerable habitats and species!

Campaign #3: Saving the rhinos

The initiative to save africa’s rhinos.

All five species of rhino are threatened with extinction. When it comes to Africa’s black rhinos, these are critically endangered with a population of under 5,000 [7] . While at around 18,000, the southern white rhino is most numerous, with the vast majority of its populating living in South Africa [8] .

In Africa, the effects of large-scale poaching have been truly devastating bringing down the white rhino population as low as 50 to 100 individuals at the beginning of 1990’s, and 2,300 black rhinos [9] . Since then, conservationists and governments have put in place reintroduction programmes to repopulate rhinos – as a result, rhino populations rose to the current numbers. But despite this success in Africa, the dangers for rhinos have not been fully thwarted. Poachers are still active, and their techniques are becoming more sophisticated.

But through awareness raising campaigns, people from different backgrounds decided to join in the efforts to help rhinos. After all, the responsibility for protecting our planet does not just fall on the shoulders of ecologists, environmental charities or governments. And this is how former military servicemen and -women are helping to stop illegal poaching.

An example of such an organization is Vetpaw , set up by US veteran Ryan Tate who was moved by the plight of rhinos after seeing a documentary about poaching and the deaths of park rangers in Africa. He and his team work across a dozen private game reserves in South Africa. This provides an advantage to the local landowners who benefit from their protection.

The Vetpaw team is also running training courses for local guides and security staff. The initiative, and others similar to Vetpaw, have also been criticized as potentially inciting an arms race with the poachers who are well-funded and part of transnational syndicates. But perhaps this is an example where extreme situations call for extreme measures.

Zero rhino poaching in Nepal

And now some very positive environmental news… According to the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), the country of Nepal celebrated in 2018 five years of zero rhino poaching [11] .

The success of this achievement involved cooperation between Nepal’s governmental policy, its army, national park staff, their national police force, collaboration with national and international NGOs such as WWF, and the involvement of local communities that live in and around reserve areas. Nepal has also cracked down on wildlife criminals since the creation of a national Wildlife Crime Bureau and have employed meaningful prison sentences for poaching.

The greater one-horned rhino had been reduced down to fewer than 100 individuals at the turn of the 20th century due to sport hunting and loss of habitat. Today, thanks to conservation efforts such as what is currently occurring in Nepal, the greater one-horned rhinoceros has increased in number to more than 3,600 individuals worldwide [9] .

Although many other species and subspecies of rhinos around the world today are suffering from poaching, this work on rhino recovery in Nepal provides a glimmer of hope in a world that is experiencing unprecedented environmental crises and perhaps provides a blueprint of a possible way forward for the conservation of other wildlife species.

So far, the greater one-horned rhino is one of the biggest conservation success stories in Asia and has been the only large mammal so far that has been downlisted from endangered status to vulnerable on the IUCN Red List .

And the fight for rhinos goes on…

Conservationists in both India (where there are other populations of this rhino species) and Nepal, along with WWF, are now working to restore the rhino population further into suitable habitat. Translocating the rhinos around to different areas of suitable habitat ensures sufficient habitat space for the animals and reduces the chance of overcrowding and disease breakouts.

Heightened security measures and involvement from local communities is helping to protect the rhinos from further poaching. The released rhinos are fitted with collars and are tracked by biologists to keep an update on their health and safety status.

However, the poaching of African rhino species continues even today, so the work on their protection continues. Perhaps these lessons learned from the conservation successes of this rhino species in Nepal will serve as examples of what may help to reverse the tide of rhino poaching in Africa and of other wildlife species around the world.

Other wildlife conservation success stories to remember

White-tailed eagle.

The white-tailed eagle, also known as “sea eagle,” went extinct in Britain in 1917. They were the UK’s largest birds of prey. Since then, a number of efforts to reintroduce them took place later in the 20th century and today, surveys indicate that there are 106 pairs of white-tailed eagles in Scotland [13] .

The reintroduction of this species highlights the importance of stakeholders working together to protect and enhance our natural environment. In this case, in addition to environmental charities such as the UK’s Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSBP), farmers and crofters joined forces to help ensure a successful reintroduction of the white-tailed eagle.

Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel

The Delmarva Peninsula fox squirrel is larger than other squirrel species and it once ranged throughout the Delmarva Peninsula of Maryland, Delaware and Virginia before it experienced a sharp decline population due to deforestation, short-rotation timber harvest and over-hunting. By 1967, when it was listed under the Endangered Species Preservation Act, its range reduced more than 90 percent [15] .

But after more than 40 years of conservation, where among other things, regulators and others helped the growth and dispersal of the population and protected large forested areas for habitat, the population of this lovely fluffy-tailed fox squirrel, is rebounding.

In 2014, US authorities announced that its recovery was such that it could be de-listed as it was “no longer at risk of extinction” [15] .

Green sea turtle

The green sea turtle is one of the largest sea turtles and the only herbivore among different species; it is still considered an endangered species due to the overharvesting of its eggs, hunting, the risk posed by fishing gear and loss of habitat for nesting.

Nevertheless, while in the 1980’s, University of Central Florida researchers would count fewer than 50 nests per year during the nesting season across the stretch of beach in Florida’s Archie Carr National Wildlife Refuge, in September 2015, a new record was set: researchers  reported  counting 12,026 nests, much higher compared to the previous record of 11,839 nests in 2013 [16] .

The increase in nests gives some hope that in the future green sea turtle populations will reach sustainable levels again in the wild.

Large blue butterfly

The large blue, the largest and rarest of blue butterflies, hold the sad status of being the only extinct butterfly species in the UK. Despite conservation efforts, the species died out in 1970’s due to habitat loss, poor management of traditional haunts and, finally, the onset of Myxomatosis which obliterated Britain’s rabbit population. This impacted butterflies as rabbits would maintain the short-cropped grassland that large blues, and their food plant, the Wild Thyme, depended on.

However, thanks to the determination of conservationists, the UK’s once extinct species was reintroduced in the 1980’s when butterflies were brought in from Sweden. Since then, their population has been increasing and now the UK holds the largest population of this species found anywhere in the world .

Scarlet macaw

The Scarlet Macaw, a wonderfully colorful bird, has made a successful re-entry into the rainforests of the Gulf of Mexico from where it was wiped out 50 years earlier. 

27 macaws have been released into the Biosphere Reserve of Los Tuxtlas in southern Veracruz as a first step towards restoring the wild population of these birds which had been previously under threat of habitat loss and intense exploitation for the pet trade.

Golden lion tamarin monkey

The golden lion tamarins are squirrel-sized Brazilian monkeys with a long golden fur thought to be extinct until the 1970s, when 200 were accidentally discovered in the Atlantic coastal forest of Brazil.

Since then, after 30 years of conservation effort and captive breeding program has been implemented to increase tamarin population by bringing 47 tamarins from different severely fragmented groups in isolated forest habitats to one protected area–the União Biological Reserve. This great reintroduction effort by local and international actors, like Smithsonian Institution and the Golden Lion Tamarin Conservation Program, has paid off and today 1,400 tamarins live in the wild [17] .

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Essay on Endangered Species in India

Students are often asked to write an essay on Endangered Species in India in their schools and colleges. And if you’re also looking for the same, we have created 100-word, 250-word, and 500-word essays on the topic.

Let’s take a look…

100 Words Essay on Endangered Species in India

Introduction.

Endangered species are those facing the risk of extinction. India, with its diverse ecosystems, is home to many such species.

Reasons for Endangerment

Habitat destruction, climate change, and poaching are major threats to these animals. Rapid urbanization and deforestation have led to loss of habitats.

Endangered Species in India

India hosts many endangered species like the Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Indian Rhinoceros, and Great Indian Bustard. Their numbers are dwindling due to human activities.

Conservation Efforts

India has established protected areas and launched projects like Project Tiger to conserve these species. However, more efforts are needed for their survival.

250 Words Essay on Endangered Species in India

India, a country with diverse ecosystems, is home to a plethora of wildlife species. However, rapid urbanization, deforestation, and climate change have led to a significant rise in the number of endangered species in India.

Threats to Wildlife

The primary threats to wildlife in India include habitat loss due to deforestation and urbanization, poaching, and climate change. These factors have resulted in a dramatic decline in the population of many species, pushing them towards extinction.

Endangered Species

Species like the Bengal Tiger, Indian Rhinoceros, and Asiatic Lion are on the brink of extinction. The Great Indian Bustard, one of the world’s heaviest flying birds, is critically endangered with fewer than 150 individuals remaining. The Ganges River Dolphin, India’s national aquatic animal, is also in danger due to pollution and dam construction.

India has taken several steps to conserve its biodiversity. The Indian Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, Project Tiger, and Project Elephant are notable initiatives. Moreover, the establishment of numerous national parks and wildlife sanctuaries has provided safe havens for these species.

While the efforts to conserve endangered species in India are commendable, much more needs to be done. It is crucial to balance development with conservation, ensuring that the rich biodiversity of India is preserved for future generations. The survival of these species is not just a matter of national pride, but also an ecological necessity.

500 Words Essay on Endangered Species in India

Endangered species are those at risk of extinction due to a rapid decrease in their population or a loss of their critical habitat. India, with its diverse ecosystems ranging from the Himalayas in the north to the evergreen rain-forests of the south, the desert sands of the west to the marshy mangroves of the east, is home to numerous species, many of which are endangered.

Causes of Endangerment

The primary causes of species endangerment in India are habitat destruction, climate change, overexploitation, disease, and pollution. Rapid industrialization and urbanization have led to deforestation and habitat fragmentation, pushing many species to the brink of extinction. Climate change, with its unpredictable weather patterns and rising temperatures, is altering habitats, thereby affecting species’ survival. Overexploitation, especially in the case of medicinal plants and animals, has also contributed to the decline in biodiversity.

Notable Endangered Species

The Bengal Tiger, Asiatic Lion, Indian Rhinoceros, Great Indian Bustard, and the Ganges River Dolphin are among the critically endangered species in India. Each of these species is a symbol of the rich biodiversity of India, and their potential loss would not only be a biological disaster but also a blow to the country’s natural heritage.

India has taken significant steps towards the conservation of its endangered species. The Wildlife Protection Act of 1972 provides for the protection of wild animals, birds, and plants. The Act also empowers the Central and State governments to declare any area a wildlife sanctuary, national park, or closed area. Additionally, India is a signatory to various international conventions aimed at biodiversity conservation, such as the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora, and the Ramsar Convention.

Project Tiger, Project Elephant, and the Crocodile Conservation Project are some of the successful conservation efforts undertaken by the Indian government. These projects have not only helped in conserving the respective species but have also brought attention to the plight of other endangered species.

The Way Forward

While the efforts taken so far have been commendable, a lot more needs to be done to ensure the survival of endangered species in India. Enhanced legal enforcement, habitat restoration, community engagement, and scientific research are crucial for effective conservation. In addition, the integration of biodiversity conservation into developmental policies is imperative for sustainable development.

It is also essential to raise public awareness about the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of species extinction. This can be achieved through education and outreach programs, which can foster a sense of responsibility towards the environment and motivate individuals to participate in conservation efforts.

The survival of endangered species is a shared responsibility. It is not just about preserving biodiversity for its own sake, but also about maintaining the health and balance of our ecosystems, which ultimately impact human survival. As we continue to strive for economic progress, it is crucial that we also prioritize the conservation of our natural heritage. The loss of any species is a loss for us all, and it is our duty to ensure that we do not let this happen.

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the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

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Endangered Species

Environment & ecology: endangered species.

  • Categories Environment & Ecology
  • Published 06-Feb-2020
  • An endangered species is a type of organism that is threatened by extinction.
  • A plant or animal species existing in such a small number that it is in danger of becoming extinct, especially such species placed in jeopardy as a result of human activity. One of the principal factors in the endangerment or extinction of a species is the destruction or pollution of its native habitat. Other factors include over hunting, intentional extermination, and the accidental or intentional introduction of alien species that out compete the native species for environmental resources.

The causes of endangerment

  • Endangerment is a broad issue, one that involves the habitats and environments where species live and interact with one another.
  • Although some measures are being taken to help specific cases of endangerment, the universal problem cannot be solved until humans protect the natural environments where endangered species dwell.
  • There are many reasons why a particular species may become endangered.
  • Although these factors can be analyzed and grouped, there are many causes that appear repeatedly.
  • Given below are several factors leading to endangerment:

Habitat Loss

  • Our planet is continually changing, causing habitats to be altered and modified.
  • Natural changes tend to occur at a gradual pace, usually causing only a slight impact on individual species.
  • However, when changes occur at a fast pace, there is little or no time for individual species to react and adjust to new circumstances.
  • This can create disastrous results, and for this reason, rapid habitat loss is the primary cause of species endangerment.
  • The strongest forces in rapid habitat loss are human beings. Nearly every region of the earth has been affected by human activity, particularly during this past century.
  • It can be difficult for an individual to recognize the effects that humans have had on specific species.
  • It is hard to identify or predict human effects on individual species and habitats, especially during a human lifetime. But it is quite apparent that human activity has greatly contributed to species endangerment.

Introduction of Exotic Species

  • Native species are those plants and animals that are part of a specific geographic area, and have ordinarily been a part of that particular biological landscape for a lengthy period of time.
  • They are well adapted to their local environment and are accustomed to the presence of other native species within the same general habitat.
  • Exotic species, however, are interlopers .
  • These species are introduced into new environments by way of human activities, either intentionally or accidentally.
  • These interlopers are viewed by the native species as foreign elements.
  • They may cause no obvious problems and may eventual be considered as natural as any native species in the habitat.
  • However, exotic species may also seriously disrupt delicate ecological balances and may produce a plethora of unintended yet harmful consequences.
  • The worst of these unintended yet harmful consequences arise when introduced exotic species put native species in jeopardy by preying on them.
  • This can alter the natural habitat and can cause a greater competition for food.
  • Species have been biologically introduced to environments all over the world, and the most destructive effects have occurred on islands.
  • Introduced insects, rats, pigs, cats, and other foreign species have actually caused the endangerment and extinction of hundreds of species during the past five centuries.
  • Exotic species are certainly a factor leading to endangerment.

Over-exploitation

  • A species that faces over-exploitation is one that may become severely endangered or even extinct due to the rate in which the species is being used.
  • Unrestricted whaling during the 20th century is an example of over-exploitation, and the whaling industry brought many species of whales to extremely low population sizes.
  • When several whale species were nearly extinct, a number of nations (including the United States) agreed to abide by an international moratorium on whaling.
  • Due to this moratorium, some whale species, such as the grey whale, have made remarkable comebacks, while others remain threatened or endangered.
  • Due to the trade in animal parts, many species continue to suffer high rates of exploitation.
  • Even today, there are demands for items such as rhino horns and tiger bones in several areas of Asia. It is here that there exists a strong market for traditional medicines made from these animal parts.

Other Factors

  • Disease, pollution, and limited distribution are more factors that threaten various plant and animal species.
  • If a species does not have the natural genetic protection against particular pathogens, an introduced disease can have severe effects on that specie.
  • For example, rabies and canine distemper viruses are presently destroying carnivore populations in East Africa.
  • Domestic animals often transmit the diseases that affect wild populations, demonstrating again how human activities lie at the root of most causes of endangerment.
  • Pollution has seriously affected multiple terrestrial and aquatic species, and limited distributions are frequently a consequence of other threats; populations confined to few small areas due to of loss of habitat, for example, may be disastrously affected by random factors.

Protection of endangered species at National level

  • Endangered species in India comprise large varieties of rare species of wild animals, aquatic animals and insects.
  • Indian wildlife consists of numerous species of birds, mammals, reptiles etc, and is well known for comprising one of the richest varieties in the world.
  • The Indian wildlife also contains several endangered species that are living critically on the verge of extinction.
  • An endangered species is defined as a population of a living being that is at the danger of becoming extinct because of several reasons.
  • Either they are few in number or are threatened by the varying environmental or predation parameters.
  • The endangered species in India have been identified by different national and international organizations like the World Wildlife Fund (WWF), International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and the wildlife institute India (WII).

Statistics of Endangered Species in India

  • As per the official records, in India, there are over 1.30 Lacs endangered animal species, although some experts believe that the number may be even more than the projected figures.
  • However, some claim that the number is actually much more.
  • The number of endangered species in India accounts for around 8.86 % of the world`s mammals.
  • The mammals are extended over 186 genera, 45 families and 13 orders out of which around 89 species are listed as threatened in the IUCN Red List of Threatened Animals (IUCN 2006).

Types of Endangered Species in India

The endangered species in India have been divided into 4 main categories.

  • Critically Endangered (CR)
  • Endangered (EN),
  • Vulnerable (VU) and
  • Threatened .

This classification was done by the International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources (IUCN) and Wildlife Institute of India (WII), in the year 2004. The population of the endangered species has been decreasing with the passing time.

Critically Endangered and Endangered Species in India

  • Among the endangered species in India, one of the most critically endangered one is the Siberian Tiger.
  • Another endangered species in India is one of the big cats, the Golden Leopard with black marks.
  • The number of this species has been reduced to as low as 14,000 in India.
  • The main reasons behind the decline of Leopard population in India have been the loss of habitat and also human population pressure on wildlife reserves in India.
  • These reasons are also a matter of great concern for the other endangered species in India.
  • The major reason behind the habitat loss is the spread of agriculture.
  • The Royal Bengal Tigers were also extensively being captured for pet trade, zoos and research, as well as for use in Oriental medicine, in the past.

Some more critically endangered species

  • India is home to very diverse and rich wildlife which includes over 172 endangered species.
  • A great deal of effort has been made in the last sixty years to preserve the natural habitats as well as the population of the wildlife across the Indian landscape.
  • With the encroachment of human activities on these lands, the natural habitat has been destroyed and has shrunk considerably.
  • This has endangered not only the smaller avian, reptile and mammal‘s population but also eroded endemic flora and fauna.

Actions/Laws for Wild Life Conversation Chronologically:

3 BC – The earliest codified laws can be attributed to King Ashoka , who in his decrees engraved on edicts, prohibited the killing of certain species of animals.

1873 – The Madras Act was passed to prevent the indiscriminate destruction of wild elephants. This was the first Act under the British regime for regional protection of wild life.

1887 – The Wild Birds Protection Act of 1887 was passed which enabled the British government to frame rules prohibiting possession or sale of any kind of specified wild birds only during breeding Season. Also this Act was only applicable to those areas, which were under the control and supervision of Municipalities and cantonments under the British regime.

1912 – The Wild Birds and Animals Protection Act of 1912 was passed. For the first time, a codified law was enacted prohibiting the killing and capturing of wild animals and the disobedience of which entailed a penal offence. The Act was also comprised scheduled animals, which listed birds and animals which could not be killed, captured or sold.

1935- The Wild Birds and Animals Protection Act No 27 of 1935 was enacted. This was a land mark year in the history of wild life as it was for the first time that the provincial government, could by notification, set aside an area to be a sanctuary for protection and growth of wild animals and birds.

1935- This year also witnessed the passing of the government of Indian Act 1935 in which the legislative powers were distributed between federal and provincial legislatures. The Protection of Wild Birds and Wild Animals was entrusted to the provincial legislature vide Entry 25 of the State List.

1952- The first wildlife authority, in the form of an advisory board, was set up in 1952 called the Central Board for Wild Life renamed as Indian Board for Wildlife .

1972- The Wild Life protection Act 1972 (Act No 53 of 1972) was passed. It was the first comprehensive Act passed for the protection of wild animals. However, subject to licences, hunting was permitted for certain purposes such as special, big and small games. Further the Act also permitted trade of trophies of scheduled animals under a licence.

1973- The project Tiger ‘was launched. Subsequently, several other schemes were initiated for protection of specific habitats and to save threatened species such as the Asiatic Lion in Gujarat, Barasigha in Madhya Pradesh, Hangul in Kashmir and many more.

1976 - The constitution (forty-second Amendment) Act 1976 was passed in which art 48A was Inserted in the Directive principles of state policy, which read as under – The state shall Endeavour to protect and improve the environment and to safeguard the forests and Wildlife of the country‘ A separate chapter IVA was incorporated where art 51A (g) states –Its shall be the duty of every citizen of India to protect and improve the natural environment including forests, lakes, rivers and wildlife and to have compassion for living creatures‘ Also the protection of wild animals and birds was transferred as 17B in the concurrent list of the constitution.

1976- Ratification of the convention on International Trade in Endangered species of Wild fauna and flora (CITES) by India on October 18.

1976/77- A separate Directorate of wildlife Education and Research was established.

1980- The Forest conversation Act 1980 was passed, which is inter alia, also aimed to preserve the natural habitat of Indian wildlife.

1982- In the Amendment Act No 23 of 1982, sections 11 and 12 of wild life Act 1972 were amended which permitted the capture and translocation of wild animals for scientific management and introduction of endangered species in alternative suitable habitat. The licensing practice for carrying out business in trophies and an animal article was also amended in Section 44 of the WLPA.

1982- The Wildlife Institute of India was established whose prime objective was to provide a professional and scientific support to the management and development of wildlife in India.

1983 – The National Wildlife Action plan was adopted by the Indian board for wildlife which was inspired by the World Conversation strategy and the Bail Action Plan. The Chairperson of IBWL, Smt. Indira Gandhi, the then prime Minister of India, outlined a board framework and strategy for wildlife preservation of India.

1986- A Major step was taken to enforce the provision of CITES under art 253 of the Constitution of India . A separate Chapter V-A was inserted in the WLPA, which prohibited trade and commerce in trophies, animal articles derived from animals listed in the scheduled of the Act.

Critical analysis of Position in India

  • India is a home to very diverse and rich wildlife which includes over 172 endangered species.
  • The Bengal tiger, Asiatic water buffalo and Indian elephant are just some of the magnificent animals walking the plains and tropical rain forest across India.
  • It is amazing to see the herds migrate from jungle to jungle in order to sustain their population in a good and natural habitat. With the encroachment of human activities on these lands, the natural habitat has been destroyed and has shrunk considerably.
  • This has endangered not only the smaller avian, reptile and mammal’s population but also eroded endemic flora and fauna.
  • Wildlife in India is considered sacred to the culture and heritage of the country.
  • A great deal of effort has been made in collaboration with international environmental protection and wildlife conservation organizations to ensure the safety of the natural habitat of Indian wildlife.
  • Unfortunately agricultural land has been given the priority and the natural habitat has been eroded to make way for human occupation.
  • As human encroachment and settlement increased across the Indian landscape, the wildlife was cornered in specific areas.
  • These were eventually declared as protected and endangered areas.
  • Once this status was awarded to a particular area or breed of animal or species of bird, a great deal of effort was maintained to prevent the poaching and hunting of wildlife.
  • This helped in increasing the awareness and subsequently the population of endangered and exotic species.
  • There are quite a few sanctuaries, for example the ones in Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Goa and Madhya Pradesh among others.
  • A good thing about the network of Wildlife Protection in India is that there is one basic administration that runs the Forestry and Wildlife Department.
  • It has different subsets in each state and the Central Government acts as the main advisory to each of these divisions.
  • The creation of the Wildlife Protection Act has made it mandatory for each union territory to have wildlife advisory boards.
  • Furthermore, with the addition of wildlife preservation in the Constitution the situation has greatly improved in terms of safeguarding wildlife populations across India.
  • With the use of information and experience of international wildlife protection agencies like the World Wildlife Federation which has placed 172 species on the endangered animal list in India, the total number of national parks and sanctuaries has risen from 5 parks to 104 national parks.
  • Further, the number of sanctuaries has increased from 60 to 531 parks in the last decade.
  • Another interesting fact about the sanctuaries and parks for conserving wildlife in India is that they are distributed throughout the Indian landscape and even on some islands.
  • The biodiversity in India is spread across plains and mountains along with the plateaus and coastal areas.
  • Each of these areas has been given full attention and therefore resulted in the creation of safe havens for aquatic and land populations of endangered species across India .
  • From crocodiles to Tigers and elephants to peacocks there are many species which are protected under the national conservation projects across the country.

Most Endangered Wild Animal Species of India

    1.Indian Tiger

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

  • The All members of Felide family, which includes three great cats Asiatic Lion, Bengal Tigers, wild cats and leopard, found in India are not in the so good population, Because of the excessive poaching, big cats in India are on the verge of extinction.
  • There is only 1411 Royal Bengal Tiger left in India, Asiatic or great India lion only found in Gir national park.
  • One of the most endangered species of felide family is snow leopard, found only in Himalaya Ranges.
  • Snow leopard along with another felide member clouded leopard are the two highly endangered species of big cats found now only with great range of Himalayas.

    2.Ganges Dolphin

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

  • The Ganges River Dolphin is member of Cetacea family ,which includes marine mammals porpoises and whales. Dolphins primarily found in the Ganges and Brahmaputra Rivers and their tributaries in India. They share their habitat with crocodiles, fresh water turtles. The blind Dolphin of holy river Ganges is the National Aquatic Animal of India.
  • The India Rive shark is also listed as one of the endangered Species in India.

     3.Gharial

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

  • The gharial is one of the three crocodilians found in India the longest of all living crocodilians.
  • The holy river Ganage is one the most habitat of the Gharial in India,the king of rivers also found in Chambal,Irrawady and Brahmaputra rivers.
  • The gharial is listed as a most critically endangered species in India.
  • Mass Gharial Deaths in Chambal river is still a mystery, one of the major cause is “ polluted river water”.

     4.Indian Bustard

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

  • The Great Indian bustard is one of the world’s heaviest flying birds is one of such rarest birds of Indian Sub-continent.
  • The Bird is found only in some parts of Gujarat, Maharashtra, and Rajasthan.
  • Less than a thousand survive today and the species is threatened by hunting and loss of its habitat.
  • Indian Vulture is another endangered birds of India , vultures were being found dead and dying throughout India.
  • Indian King Vulture found sharply in Gujarat, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh.

     5.Indian Rhinoceros

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

  • The Great Indian Rhinoceros also called as One Horned Rhinoceros found in India .
  • The Indian Rhinoceros has a single black horn which is present in both male and female species.
  • The Great Indian Rhinoceros is the fourth largest animal in the world.
  • The large endangered mammal is primarily found in parts of north-eastern India, Today about 3,000 rhinos live in the wild, 2,000 of which are found in Manas and Kaziranga National Park Excessive hunting for its horn reduced their natural habitat drastically.

   6.Indian Wild Dog

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

  • Indian Wild Dog or Dhole is one of the top predators of wild forest,living in packs, hunting cooperatively and highly social animals.
  • An Asiatic wild dog is also called the whistling hunter , because it has an extraordinary vocal call .
  • Dhole is found in national parks of Assam, Bengal, Gujarat, Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, and Nilgiri Biosphere reserve of south India.
  • It is estimated that only 2500 Dholes are left in the wild.
  • Threats to the dhole species include habitat destruction and loss of its main prey.
  • There is a documentary available in Nat Geo as “The PACK” , which was one of the best documentary ever made on Asiatic wild dogs.

   7.Red Panda

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

  • The beautiful and endangered species,Indian Red Panda is also known by the name of Red Fox .
  • From the two kinds of Red Pandas in the world, only one variety is found in India .
  • India has 20 protected areas with Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh and West Bengal’s Khangchendzonga and Namdapha National Park.
  • The endangered Red Panda live in temperate climates, in deciduous and coniferous forests, usually with an under story of bamboo and hollow trees.

Approval for the Trishna Gas project of ONGC which falls in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary

  • The National Wildlife Board has given its approval for the Trishna Gas project of ONGC which falls in the Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in the Gomati district of Tripura.
  • ONGC has discovered 10-12 gas bearing wells in the Trishna Wildlife sanctuary. Oil and Natural Gas Corporation (ONGC) Tripura Asset would soon start extracting natural gas from Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary in Belonia subdivision of Gomati district following National Wildlife Board’s clearance of its proposal.
  • The gas extracted from Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary would be transported to the North Eastern Electric Power Corporation Ltd (NEEPCO) owned 100 MW gas-based thermal power project at Monarchak in Sonamura subdivision of Sipahijala district.

Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary                 

  • Trishna Wildlife Sanctuary is a Wildlife Sanctuary in Tripura, India.
  • It covers an area of about 163.08 square kilometers. This sanctuary is situated in South Tripura District.
  • This sanctuary has a number of perennial water rivulets, water bodies, and grass land. Indian Gaur (Bison) is an attraction of this sanctuary.
  • Apart from it, there are varieties of Birds, Deers, Hollock Gibbon, Golden Langur, Capped Langur, Pheasant and many other animals and reptiles.

Nilgiri Tahr: Climate change threatening 60% of its habitat

  • A new study has predicted that most of the existing habitats of the Nilgiri Tahr (species of wild mountain goat) in the Western Ghats will become unsuitable as global warming intensi?es.

Study Analysis:

  • Historically, the Nilgiri Tahr was found everywhere in the Western Ghats.
  • Currently only 3,000 exist and their habitat is restricted to one-tenth of their original range. And they are found only in the southern Western Ghats in an altitude range of 1,100 metres to 2,600 metres.
  • The study suggested that Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and the Peppara, Neyyar Schenduruny and Srivilliputhur wildlife sanctuaries in Kerala and Tamil Nadu will become unsuitable for the Tahr in the future due to climate change.
  • It predicted a maximum habitat loss of 61.2 per cent, 61.4 per cent and 63 per cent for 2030, 2050 and 2080 respectively if emissions did not reduce.
  • The study also forewarns that the existing protected area network might not be effective in conserving the Tahr if climate mitigation measures are not adopted in management plans of protected areas.
  • The study recommends surveys for improving the condition of existing habitats.

Other Threats:

  • Agriculture & aquaculture: Annual & perennial non-timber crops, Livestock farming & ranching.
  • Biological resource use: Hunting & trapping terrestrial animals.
  • Invasive and other problematic species, alien species, genes & diseases

Nilgiri Tahr:

  • IUCN Redlist Status : Endangered
  • Habitat And Ecology: Grassland, Shrubland, Rocky areas (eg. inland cliffs, mountain peaks)
  • They are known as Pride of Munnar .
  • Found in the tourism zone of the Eravikulam National Park (ENP) near Munnar.

Swelling Salinity Threatens Gangetic Dolphins

Five year study in Sundarbans region has found that rising water salinity is threatening the habitat of Gangetic dolphins.

Threat Analysis:

  • Study highlighted that earlier in 1879; these freshwater loving mammals swam along the entire length of Ganga and Brahmaputra and all of their tributaries. From the delta of Bay of Bengal up to the Himalayan foothills.
  • Today at the merging of Ganga, Brahmaputra and Meghna which form the Sundarban region, these dolphins struggle to survive.
  • India’s “Dolphin Man” Ravindra Sinha has observed that water diversion, commissioning of large barrages upstream has impacted the salinity pro?le of rivers downstream in central sundarbans.
  • Declining ?ow of Ganga is the biggest threat to Gangetic dolphins along with water intensive agriculture in the basin.
  • Bihar constitutes 50% of mammals in the country. India’s only protected area for Gangetic dolphins are at Vikramshila Gangetic Dolphin Sanctuary in Bihar .
  • Asia’s First National Dolphin Research Centre is coming up in Patna to give boost to research and conservation of dolphins.
  • Biological resource use: Fishing & harvesting aquatic resources,
  • Natural system modi?cations: Dams & water management/use
  • Pollution: Industrial & military ef?uents, Agricultural & forestry ef?uents

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Critically Endangered Animal Species of India

Last updated on February 3, 2024 by Alex Andrews George

Critically Endangered Animal Species of India

300+ animals fall under the category of endangered while 140+ plants fall under the category of endangered.  This post is a detailed list of the critically endangered animal species in India. These include mammals, reptiles, birds, amphibians, fishes, corals and so on. 

Table of Contents

When is a species considered critically endangered?

Critically endangered is the highest risk category assigned by the IUCN (International  Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List to wild species. There are five quantitative criteria to determine whether a taxon is threatened . A taxon is critically endangered when the best available evidence indicates that it meets any of the following criteria:

  • Populations have declined or will decrease, by greater than 80% over the last 10 years or three generations.
  • Have a restricted geographical range.
  • Small population size of less than 250 individuals and continuing decline at 25% in 3 years or one generation.
  • Very small or restricted population of fewer than 50 mature individuals.
  • High probability of extinction in the wild.

The Critically Endangered list includes 10 mammals, 15 birds, 6 reptiles, 19 species of amphibians, 14 fishes etc.

Critically Endangered Mammals

  • Pygmy Hog (Porcula salvania).
  • Andaman White-toothed Shrew (Crocidura andamanensis)
  • Jenkin’s Andaman Spiny Shrew (Crocidura jenkinsi)
  • Nicobar White-tailed Shrew (Crocidura nicobarica)
  • Kondana Rat (Millardia kondana)
  • Large Rock Rat or Elvira Rat (Cremnomys elvira)
  • Namdapha Flying Squirrel (Biswamoyopterus biswasi)
  • Malabar Civet (Viverra civettina)
  • Sumatran Rhinoceros (Dicerorhinus sumatrensis)
  • Javan Rhinoceros (Rhinoceros sondaicus)

Critically Endangered Birds

Great Indian Bustard

According   to International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list of birds, the information contained in the IUCN Red list version 2013.2 indicates that 15 species of birds from India are critically endangered.

Critically endangered birds in India under a different classification can be grouped as:

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  • Migratory Wetland Species – Baer’s Pochard (Aythya baeri), Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus), Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus)
  • Non-migratory Wetland Species – White-bellied Heron (Ardea insignis)
  • Grassland Species – Bengal Florican (Houbaropsis bengalensis), Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps), Jerdon’s Courser(Rhinoptilus bitorquatus), Sociable Lapwing (Vanellus gregarius)
  • Forest Species – Forest Owlet (Heteroglaux blewitti)
  • Scavengers – Indian Vulture (Gyps indicus), Red-headed Vulture (Sarcogyps calvus), Slender-billed Vulture (Gyps tenuirostris), White-backed Vulture (Gyps bengalensis).
  • Practically extinct – Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa), Pink-headed Duck (Rhodonessa caryophyllacea)

Extra note: In the lower risk categories, the agency included 14 bird species as Endangered and 51 as vulnerable ones.  In the latest list, two birds – the River Lapwing and River Tern – that were listed as species of least concern have been registered as near threatened. A third bird, the long-tailed duck, which has been sighted in India on a few occasions, has moved from ‘least concern’ to ‘vulnerable’ on the red list.

Also read: Vulture Conservation in India

Critically Endangered Reptiles

Gharial (fish eating crocodile)

  • Gharial (Gavialis gangeticus)
  • Hawksbill Turtle (Eretmochelys imbricata)
  • Leatherback Turtle (Dermochelys coriacea)
  • Four-toed River Terrapin or River Terrapin (Batagur baska)
  •  Red-crowned Roofed Turtle or the Bengal Roof Turtle (Batagur kachuga)
  • Sispara day gecko (Cnemaspis sisparensis)

Critically Endangered Amphibians

  • Anamalai Flying Frog (Rhacophorus pseudomalabaricus)
  • Gundia Indian Frog (Indirana gundia)
  • Kerala Indian Frog (Indirana phrynoderma)
  • Charles Darwin’s Frog (Ingerana charlesdarwini)
  • Kottigehar Bubble-nest Frog (Micrixalus kottigeharensis)
  • Amboli Bush Frog (Pseudophilautus amboli)
  • Chalazodes Bubble-Nest Frog (Raorchestes chalazodes)
  • Small Bush Frog (Raorchestes chotta)
  • Green-eyed Bush Frog (Raorchestes chlorosomma)
  • Griet Bush Frog (Raorchestes griet)
  • Kaikatt’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes kaikatti)
  • Mark’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes marki)
  • Munnar Bush Frog (Raorchestes munnarensis)
  • Large Ponmudi Bush Frog (Raorchestes ponmudi)
  • Resplendent Shrub Frog (Raorchestes resplendens)
  • Sacred Grove Bush frog (Raorchestes sanctisilvaticus)
  • Sushil’s Bush Frog (Raorchestes sushili)
  • Shillong Bubble-nest Frog (Raorchestes shillongensis)
  • Tiger toad (Xanthophryne tigerinus)

Critically Endangered Fishes

  • Pondicherry Shark (Carcharhinus hemiodon)
  • Ganges Shark (Glyphis gangeticus)
  • Knife-tooth Sawfish (Anoxypristis cuspidata)
  • Large-tooth Sawfish (Pristis microdon)
  • Long-comb Sawfish or Narrow-snout Sawfish (Pristis zijsron)

Critically Endangered Corals

  • Fire corals (Millepora boschmai)

Critically Endangered Spiders

  • Rameshwaram Ornamental or Rameshwaram Parachute Spider (Poecilotheria hanumavilasumica)
  • Gooty Tarantula, Metallic Tarantula or Peacock Tarantula (Poecilotheria metallica

Also read: Biodiversity protection .

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About Alex Andrews George

Alex Andrews George is a mentor, author, and social entrepreneur. Alex is the founder of ClearIAS and one of the expert Civil Service Exam Trainers in India.

He is the author of many best-seller books like 'Important Judgments that transformed India' and 'Important Acts that transformed India'.

A trusted mentor and pioneer in online training , Alex's guidance, strategies, study-materials, and mock-exams have helped many aspirants to become IAS, IPS, and IFS officers.

Reader Interactions

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

January 16, 2015 at 10:23 pm

Hi, PLEASE DO SOME THING FOR HINDI MEDIUM STUDENTS.

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

June 6, 2015 at 11:44 pm

Thank you clear ias

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

August 1, 2015 at 12:58 pm

Super app out of ten I gave 8 marks

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

August 9, 2015 at 6:24 am

this information about crieteria is completely wrong..check official website of iucn with updated categories and criteria in 2012

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August 9, 2015 at 4:54 pm

IUCN updates the list each year. The above given information was per the latest Indian government reports available online.

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

June 5, 2016 at 11:10 am

Can please put the revised list of 2016..thank you

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

April 18, 2019 at 1:33 pm

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

August 9, 2015 at 8:31 pm

Upsc is my cup of tea.

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

January 26, 2019 at 6:24 pm

Result is your biscuit haan

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

April 29, 2016 at 12:27 pm

does kashmir stag include?

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

May 9, 2016 at 9:31 pm

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

May 27, 2016 at 1:43 pm

it provides good information

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

September 3, 2016 at 10:25 pm

Sumatran rhinoceros and javan rhino mentioned in critically endangered species, has become extinct in india long back…..please check your data….

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

January 7, 2019 at 11:04 pm

KASHMIRI STAG IS ALSO CRITICALLY ENDANGERED SPECIE.

April 18, 2019 at 1:34 pm

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

January 22, 2020 at 7:51 am

if some information about critically endangered mammals like which place they are present, specific characters, for example pygmy hog * smallest pig * indicator of grassland * found in himalayan foot hills will be sufficient. also create this for mammals, reptiles, animals, birds not for all only important one.

thank you clear IAS wonderful stuff to easily note important one.

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

September 20, 2020 at 8:30 pm

there might be a mistake regarding sispara day gecko here. please look into it

the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

July 27, 2022 at 11:06 am

Please include Chinese Pangolin(Manis pentadactyla) in the list of Critically endangered mammals of India.Thank you.

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the campaign to save the endangered species upsc essay

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  • The campaign to save the endangered species

The campaign to save the endangered species | UPSC Essay

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The earth is home to a plethora of different species, each contributing to the intricate web of life that sustains our planet. However, with the exponential growth in human population and the resulting exploitation of natural resources, many of these species are facing the threat of extinction. The loss of these species not only leads to the loss of biodiversity but also disrupts the delicate balance of the ecosystem. The campaign to save the endangered species has become an urgent global issue, and concerted efforts are being made to mitigate the loss of these species.

The issue of endangered species is not a new phenomenon, but it has gained significant attention in recent years. According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), over 27,000 species are threatened with extinction, with many of them classified as critically endangered. The primary causes of species decline are habitat loss, climate change, pollution, and overexploitation.

One of the key campaigns to save endangered species is through habitat conservation. Protected areas such as national parks and reserves provide refuge for many endangered species. These areas not only provide a safe haven for these species but also play a critical role in maintaining the balance of the ecosystem. Many governments and organizations have taken steps to increase the number of protected areas, expand their size, and improve their management.

Another important approach is through the implementation of international treaties and agreements. The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) is one such agreement that aims to regulate the trade of endangered species and their products. CITES has been instrumental in reducing the demand for endangered species and ensuring their survival. Other international agreements such as the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) also play a crucial role in promoting the conservation of endangered species.

In addition to these measures, public awareness campaigns and education programs have been instrumental in promoting the conservation of endangered species. These campaigns aim to educate the public about the importance of biodiversity and the consequences of species loss. Such initiatives have helped to create a sense of responsibility and urgency among the general public, leading to increased support for conservation efforts.

Despite these efforts, many species continue to face the threat of extinction. The complexity of the issue requires a comprehensive and integrated approach, involving multiple stakeholders and sectors. Governments, private organizations, and individuals must work together to address the root causes of species decline and take proactive steps to conserve and restore habitats.

In conclusion, the campaign to save endangered species is an urgent global issue that requires collective action. It is essential that we recognize the importance of biodiversity and take steps to conserve and protect it. The conservation of endangered species is not just a moral imperative but also critical to the survival of our planet. We must act now to ensure that future generations inherit a world that is rich in biodiversity and sustainable in its use of natural resources.

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Net Explanations

Essay on The campaign to save endangered species

Essay – the campaign to save endangered species.

The campaign to save endangered species Essay: Endangered species can be defined as a group of species that are threatened by the risk of extinction by an accelerated pace of decreasing population or loss of ideal natural habitat. Endangered species include both animals and plants. The  International Union for Conservation of Nature, formed in 1994 identifies and classifies three classes of species threatened with extinction. The classifications are ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR), Endangered(EN) and Vulnerable Species (VU).

The campaign to save endangered species essay

The International Union of Conservation of Nature classifies endangered species by taking into consideration specific criteria to assign conservation status to each species.

Critically Endangered Species (CR) are those that are threatened with extinction by a decreasing population by 80% to 90% over the past ten years or the past three generations. The species classified under this group are only fifty in the population. The ‘Sumatran Orangutan’ is a critically endangered species. Endangered Species (EN) are those species that face the threat of decreasing population by 50% to 70% over the last decade or three generations. The group of species are fewer than fifty in the population. The Sundarban Tigers and Javan Rhinos are examples of endangered species. The Vulnerable Species (VU) include those species facing threats of the decline of the population by 30% to 50% in the past decade or past three generations. The population of these species is fewer than 1000 in contemporary times. Military Macaw is a vulnerable species.

The Union Government of India initiated the Project Tiger Programme under Central Sector Scheme in 1973 by creating nine tiger reserve centres across nine states of India including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Madhya Pradesh, Chattisgarh, Jammu and Kashmir, Kerala, Karnataka and West Bengal. Tiger conservation aims at protecting tigers from poaching and conserving their natural habitat besides preserving the biodiversity of a large magnitude. The tiger population has been stable with 4500 tigers in India and its adjoining forest areas in Bhutan and Nepal.

The Crocodile Breeding Project was started in Orissa in April 1975 with the assistance of UNDP. The project extended to other Indian states such as West Bengal and Hyderabad. The project aimed to conserve three main species of crocodiles namely, Gavialis gangeticus, Crocodylus palustrais and the saltwater crocodile, Crocodylus porosus. In addition, the Lesser Cats Project was established in 1976 facilitated with the assistance of the World Wildlife Fund(WWF) in India to conserve four species of wild tigers in particular, such as Felis Bengalensis, Kerr, Felis Marmorta Martin, Felis Lemruinki Vigors Horsefield and Felis Vivereina Bennet found mostly in Sikkim and Northern parts of West Bengal.

In conclusion, wildlife preservation is an essential aspect of governance for it plays an integral role in maintaining the right ecological balance. The prevalence of hunting, poaching and smuggling of animal parts have endangered the existence of several species such as tiger and rhinoceros. India as a nation has taken massive strides to conserve endangered animals as proven by the stable population of tigers.

Q1. When was IUNC formed?

Ans: The  International Union for Conservation of Nature, formed in 1994 identifies and classifies three classes of species threatened with extinction.

Q2. What are the three groups of classification?

Ans: The classifications are ‘Critically Endangered’ (CR), Endangered(EN) and Vulnerable Species (VU).

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    The National Board for Wildlife and Union Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change last month included the caracal, a medium-sized wildcat found in parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, in the list of critically endangered species. The recovery programme for critically endangered species in India now includes 22 wildlife species. About Caracal:

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    Campaign to Save Endangered Species. Become a family of environmental leaders with these ideas on the process of designing a social action campaign to educate your community about the plight of endangered species and actions they can take to help ensure Earth is a healthy place for all living things. Grades. 5 - 8.

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    According to the recent data by the Wildlife Crime Control Bureau (WCCB) and State Forest and Police Authorities, in the past three years (2018-2020), about 2054 cases were registered for killing or illegal trafficking of wild animals in India. In order to control this, the WCCB has conducted a number of species-specific enforcement operations ...

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    UPSC Coaching in Karol Bagh. IAS Coaching in Prayagraj. The Asiatic Lion in Gir Forest National Park, the Sangai deer in Keibul Lamjao National Park, the Nilgiri Tahr and Lion-Tailed Macaque in the Western Ghats of India are other instances. The Great Indian Rhinoceros, the Critically Endangered Gharial, the Hoolock Gibbon, the Ganga River ...

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    15. Pink-headed Duck. Rhodonessacaryophyllacea. Critically endangered birds in India under a different classification can be grouped as: Migratory Wetland Species - Baer's Pochard (Aythya baeri), Siberian Crane (Leucogeranus leucogeranus), Spoon-billed Sandpiper (Eurynorhynchus pygmeus)

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