Lok Sabha Question No. 87 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2019-06-21
Subject: Extinction of Species
Ministry: ENVIRONMENT,  FORESTS AND CLIMATE CHANGE
Asked by: M. K. Raghavan

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION No. 87

TO BE ANSWERED ON 21.06.2019

## Extinction of Species

## 87. SHRI M.K.RAGHAVAN

Will the Minister of ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE be pleased to state:

- (a) whether the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) of which India is a signatory, has assessed that as many as one million different species are facing extinction;
- (b) If  so,  the  details  of  the  areas,  fields,  and  species  that  are  facing  the  threat  of extinction in the country;
- (c) the  details  of  identified  damage  done  to  the  biodiversity  hotspots  in  the  country including Himalayan region, Western Ghats etc.; and
- (d) the remedial actions being taken to protect flora and fauna of the country?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER FOR ENVIRONMENT, FOREST AND CLIMATE CHANGE (SHRI PRAKASH JAVADEKAR)

(a) to (c) The Intergovernmental Science Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem  Services  (IPBES),  an  intergovernmental  body  with  132  countries  as  members including India,  has undertaken a global and four regional assessments of biodiversity and ecosystem  services,  the  reports  of  which  are  available  at  www.ipbes.net.    While  the  full report of the global assessment is yet to come out, findings of the four regional assessments (Africa,  the  Americas,  Asia  and  the  Pacific,  and  Europe  and  Central  Asia)  have  been published.  As per the summary of the global assessment report, globally around one million plant  and  animal  species  of  the  nearly  eight  million  species  are  now  threatened  with extinction.   The IPBES regional assessment report of the Asia and the Pacific does not give country  specific  status  of  species,  but  gives  a  few  sub-regional  trends.      Himalaya  and Western  Ghats  are  two  of  the  four  global  biodiversity  hotspots  represented  in  India. Hotspots are areas characterized by richness of biodiversity that are experiencing rapid rates of  habitat  modification.    According  to  the  IPBES  regional  assessment  report,  the  AsiaPacific region exhibits varying trends in the status of biodiversity and ecosystem services.

(d) Some important actions taken by the Government to protect flora and fauna of the country  include:  Survey,  inventorization,  taxonomic  validation  and  threat  assessment  of floral and faunal resources; assessment of the forest cover to develop an accurate database for  planning  and  monitoring;  Establishment  of  a  biogeography  based  Protected  Area

Network  of  National  Parks,  Wildlife  Sanctuaries,  Conservation  and  Community  Reserves and enhancing their management  effectiveness; Designating Biosphere Reserves for conservation of representative ecosystems; Undertaking of species oriented programmes at national scale, such as Project Tiger, Project Snow Leopard and Project Elephant; Species recovery programme for four highly threatened species viz., Great Indian bustard, Gangetic dolphin, Manipur brow-antlered deer or Thamin, and Dugong; Species recovery plans for additional  18  threatened  species  which  are  ready  to  be  implemented;  Formulation  and implementation of new Forestry Working Plan Code (2014) which lays strong emphasis on mainstreaming biodiversity conservation in forestry working; Research and development in the  area  of  biodiversity  conservation  and  long  term  monitoring  through  a  number  of specialized agencies such as Botanical Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India, Central Marine  and  Fishery  Research,  Wildlife  Institute  of  India,  G.B.  Pant  National  Institute  of Himalayan Environment and Sustainable Development, Indian Institute of Forest Management, Salim Ali Centre for Ornithology and Natural History, Central Zoo Authority, etc.; and Capacity building and human resource development in the area of wildlife research and management at various levels through a large number of programmes including National Green Skills Development for the local stakeholders, Biodiversity Management Committees and Bare-foot Taxonomists (Parataxonomists) conservation efforts.  In addition, Biological Diversity Act, 2002 has also been enacted with the aim to conserve biological resources of the country and regulation of access to these resources to ensure equitable sharing of benefits arising  out  of  their  use.  Under  the  Act,  a  National  Biodiversity  Authority  and  State Biodiversity  Boards in all  States  have  been  set  up  for implementing  the  provisions  of the Act.

******