Out of 96,000, 50 animal species in India are `critically endangered`: Govt

Zee Media Bureau

New Delhi: Animals complete our ecosystem. But, human activity, climate change and global warming are some of the reasons that are drastically affecting the flora and fauna of our planet along with the environment as a whole.

Many animals of our country are slowly but steadily approaching the endangered list.

The Rajya Sabha on Monday, was informed that out of 96,000 animal species, 50 have been labeled as “critically endangered”.

The Zoological Survey of India conducted studies, through which, 96,000 animal species were recorded to inhabit India.

Environment minister Prakash Javadekar, in a written reply said that, “Among these, International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has assessed 18 species of amphibians, 14 varieties of fish, 13 birds and 10 mammals as critically endangered and 310 species as endangered, including 69 fish, 38 mammals and 32 amphibians.”

He added that towards conservation of threatened species, the government has established 730 Protected Areas, including 103 national parks, 535 wildlife sanctuaries, 26 community reserves and 66 conservation reserves, which primarily cover habitats of threatened megafauna such as tiger, rhino, elephant and others.

He also said that the National CAMPA Advisory Council has approved the funding for recovery programme of various endangered species.

These include Dugong with a budget of Rs 23.58 crore, Gangetic River Dolphin with Rs 23 crore, Great Indian Bustard with Rs 108.25 crore, Manipur Brow Antlered deer with budgetary support of Rs 99.95 crore and wild Buffalo with Rs 2 crore.

(With agency inputs)