Endless threats to our ecosystem

More than 28,000 species across the globe are under the threat of becoming extinct. That means 27% of all assessed species could disappear from the planet if immediate action is not taken. This is according to the latest edition of the The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List. Many of the species under threat are primary food sources for other animals.

Their extinction would put those animals at risk. Also, the dwindling of certain herbivores is likely to cause uncontrolled growth of certain plant varieties. In short, the already fragile ecosystem is under threat.
For humans, the bad news is the ‘alarming’ depletion of freshwater fish stock across the world. The worst hit is Japan, where over half of endemic freshwater fish is under threat.

The report says the primary reason for this is the loss of free-flowing rivers. It notes that nearly two-thirds of the world’s largest rivers no longer flow freely. The situation of rivers in India is no different, with dams being constructed across every possible stretch of every river. As per data from February this year, there are close to 6,000 dams in 18 states of India, of which a whopping 40 % are in Maharashtra. By restricting water flow, these dams destroy plants and fish species living in these rivers.

On Friday, this paper reported how Indian bull frogs are threatening the biodiversity of the pristine Andaman and Nicobar ecosystem. Introduced by people from the mainland for consumption, sometime around 2000, these frogs broke loose and escaped into the wilderness. They have multiplied rapidly since then and are now a threat to the local frog population.

 According to the IUCN Red List website, in India, 169 species are critically endangered, 392 are endangered, 548 are vulnerable, and 397 are near threatened. Experts say the need of the hour is sound policymaking. The focus must be on laws that ensure human needs are met with minimal impact on the ecosystem; sensitisation of implementation authorities; and incentives to encourage conservation.