Red Listed Species

India is undoubtedly a land of biodiversity. It is estimated that around 6.5 % of familiar world wildlife species are found in the subcontinent. That is why the rising threat of endangerment of certain marvellous and precious wildlife is a concerning detail. With India being the home to 12.6% of the total bird population in the world and 7.6% of mammals in the world are found here, India’s biodiversity is at stake. The list of endangered species in India Red Data book consists of species such as the Indian Vulture, White-bellied Heron, Himalayan quail, Siberian Crane, Northern River Terrapin, Green-eyed bush frog, Chinese Pangolin, Elvira rat, Red Panda, and more. 

Endangered Species

A species is classified as an endangered species when they are very likely to become extinct in the immediate future. This extinction can occur either on a global scale or in a particular geographical location. Endangered species might be classified so because of loss of habitat, encroachment of invasive species, and poaching. The International Union for Conservation of Nature has provided a list of Conservation statuses that applies to every geographical region and a country as a whole. 

It is following this list that the list of endangered species in India Red Databook has been created. The Red Data Book contains the names and information on the conservation status of species that are endemic to India. It is a collaborative effort and depends on the information provided by the IUCN in the Red List that is published for each country that contains the list of threatened species. 

List of Endangered Species in India Red Data Book

The Red List upon which the Red Data Book is based contains the list of threatened species which include critically endangered, endangered, and vulnerable categories. The list of endangered species in India Red Databook (according to recent estimates) contains the following names:

For Endangered

• Tigers
• Red Panda
• Asiatic Lions
• Dhole
• Hog Deer
• White Bellied-Himalayan Deer
• Golden Langur
• Assam Rabbit
• Wanderoo
• Kharai Camel
• Nilgiri Tahr

Critically Endangered Species in India IUCN Red List

For critically endangered species in India IUCN Red List (animals)

• Himalayan Brown Bear
• Kondana Rat
• Namdapha Flying Squirrel
• Malabar Civet
• Hangul
• Sumatran Rhinoceros
• Elvira Rat

For critically endangered (birds)

• Siberian Crane
• Sociable Lapwing
• Bengal Florican
• Himalayan Quail
• The Jerdon’s Courser
• Spoon Billed Sandpiper

For critically endangered (Reptiles)

• Gharial
• Leatherback Turtle
• Sispara Day gecko
• River Terrapin
• Hawksbill Turtle

For critically endangered (Amphibians)

• Toad-skinned frog
• Griet Bush Frog
• Green-eyed Bush frog
• Anamalai Flying Frog
• Kerala Indian Frog

For critically endangered (Corals)

Fire Corals

Important Species of India in IUCN Red List

The list of endangered species in India Red Databook is normally divided into two parts- Part I and part II. Those are then further subdivided into mammals, amphibians, reptiles, insects, fishes, corals, and plants. There are certain important species in India in IUCN Red List which are:

• Griet Bush Frog
• Green-eyed Bush frog
• Bengal Florican
• Himalayan Quail
• Tigers
• Red Panda
• Malabar Civet
• Hangul
• Sumatran Rhinoceros

Conclusion

The present state of conservation status for many of these wildlife species is at serious risk due to human activities, global warming, ecological changes, deforestation, and illegal hunting and poaching. A vast majority of their population has already been dwindled to a couple of hundreds due to the unregulated hunting during the preceding centuries. The world is home to not only us human beings but to other creatures and lifeforms. Efforts are being taken to conserve the species named in the threatened species.