By Satyaki Paul
On September 01, 2021 the Union Territory of Ladakh adopted two endangered species, snow leopard and black-necked crane, as State animal and State bird. This was done two years after it was carved out as a separate Union Territory (UT) from the then state of Jammu and Kashmir.
This leads us to the first question: why Snow Leopard was made the state animal of Ladakh?
The Snow Leopard is listed as Vulnerable on the IUCN Red List because the global population is estimated to number fewer than 10,000 mature individuals and is expected to decline about 10% by 2040. It is enlisted as Schedule I of Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. And, it is threatened by poaching and habitat destruction following infrastructural developments. This particular species inhabits alpine and subalpine zones at elevations from 3,000 to 4,500 m (9,800 to 14,800 ft), ranging from eastern Afghanistan, the Himalayas and the Tibetan Plateau, to southern Siberia, Mongolia and western China. In the northern part of its range, it also lives at lower elevations.
Secondly, why Black-necked Cranewas made the state birdof Ladakh?
The Black-necked crane is endemic to the region of Ladakh, particularly the Changthang region. And, it was made the state bird of J&K before August 5, 2019. The Black-necked crane and snow leopard are two endangered species and the pride of Ladakh. They are considered to be loyal couples, and they arrive in Ladakh in the month of March for breeding and migrate by the month of October end or early November. In current context, these bird’s population is dwindling in the region, has been categorised as “Near Threatened” in the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List.
Thirdly, what is the IUCN Red List?
The IUCN Red List is the world’s most all-inclusive inventory of plant and animal species’ global conservation status. It evaluates the extinction risk of thousands of species using a set of quantitative criteria. These requirements apply to almost all species and all parts of the globe. The IUCN Red List is widely regarded as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity, because of its strong scientific foundation. The extinction risk of species considered is defined by the IUCN Red List Categories. From NE (Not Evaluated) to EX (Extinct). There are nine categories. The IUCN Red List threat categories are listed below in descending order of threat:
- Extinct: Species that are Extinct or Extinct in the Wild. For example: Dodo.
- Species that are Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable: species threatened with global extinction. For example: Snow Leopard.
- Species that are Near Threatened: These are species close to the threatened thresholds or that would be threatened without ongoing conservation measures. For example: Black-necked Crane.
- Species that are of Least Concern: These species were evaluated with a lower risk of extinction. For example: Yellow mongoose.
- Data Deficient: No assessment on these species due to insufficient data. For example: Bull-head sharks.
Fourthly, what is the role played by the IUCN?
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is formally known as International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It is an organisation devoted to environmental protection and sustainable resource management. It works on data collection and analysis, research, field projects, activism, and education, among other things. The purpose of the IUCN is to influence, encourage, and assist. The IUCN has to guide societies all over the world for protecting the biodiversity and habitats. Their scope also consists of means through which safe guarding can be undertaken involving that of any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable.
Lastly, what is the role of IUCN in UN?
In the United Nations (UN), the IUCN has observer and consultative status, and it participates in the implementation of various international conventions on nature protection and biodiversity. Furthermore, it should be also kept in mind that IUCN was also involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) and the UN Environment Programme (UNEP) World Conservation Monitoring Centre (WCMC) as well.