Lost For Ever

A Menace no more
Dead as a Dodo
Color coded for conservation
Where Have the Horses Gone?
Wiped Out by a Cat
A Bird Lost for Ever

Color coded for conservation

By Rani Iyer

Trying to save species from the risk of extinction is like trying to keep up with time! It is in fact a race against time! Many species in the world are in danger of becoming extinct. That means there will be no more members of that species again. The species will not walk on earth anymore! Extinction is forever!
Most species at risk of extinction can be saved. Since the beginning of the century, conservationists have been working on a system that will allow them to focus on the species that need to be saved most urgently. Saving plants and animals is not usually thought to be as important as saving human beings. In every country, only a fraction of money, people, and land are allocated for saving plants and animals.

This means we need to first protect the species that are in most danger of being lost from the earth. By prioritization we can spread the small resource around and use it effectively.
But how do we know what species to prioritise first? After working for many years in the forests, scientists and foresters know if a species is in danger of extinction. There are some thumb rules to go by. If a species is endemic (restricted to a single location in the world) or is found in a forest that is fragmented, then it is in danger of being lost forever. Such species find their names written in the 'Red data book.'
World over, scientists and foresters collaborate to produce a list of species that is in risk of dying. Today, there are about 100,000 species listed in the book. They include plants, animals and insects. It covers all range of environments from the aquatic (freshwater, marsh, and marine), to terrestrial (forests, grasslands, scrub lands, desert, the frozen arctic and Antarctic). There are several habitats that fall in between these two.
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) evaluates the threat with the help of experts on a global scale. We are in danger of losing nearly 34,000 plant species, or 12.5% of the world's vascular plants. Of these, 91% are endemic species. About 5,205 species of animals in the world are threatened. This estimate does not include all the fish, marine mammals, and vertebrates.
Every country has it's own Red data book. Experts create one list or book for each group- seed plants, ferns, mosses, insects, birds, fish, reptiles, amphibians, mammals and insects. By observing creatures of your interest, you can give valuable information to the Red data book, which is published locally, statewide and nationally. This will help in compiling a Global Red data book. Imagine that!

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Last updated on :11/24/2003

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User's Comments

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S. Nagarajan: Very good

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warsi: I wish to get some information on endangered plant species. It will be kind of you if you could provide me some. N.H.WARSI

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manjunatha reddy: I need information about extinct insects in India and world and information about conservation of insects

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Mayank: I want to get the red book data of India which consist of species that are only threatened in India

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sabira shahin: I need the recent list of endangered fauna of India. It wil be really of great help to me.

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Kirti: I want to know about the three animal species that have become extinct from Indian Forests.

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nikita: I need information about endangered plant & animal species only in India.

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J Alagar Samy: I need information about endangered plant & animal species only in India. It is very urgent.

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Jayna: Your answer shows real intelligence.

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