India- the land of natural miracles and heavenly resources. India encompasses approximately 2% of total forest area in the world. However the forest here is the habitat of millions of flora and fauna. According to the IUCN Red book, among the 63837 species inhabiting the Indian forest , 19817 species are on the verge of extinction.
The current scenario where many species of flora and fauna are thriving for their existence , even more number of threatened species are continuously being added to the list. The situation is extremely tensed. More than 10000 species are vulnerable, 5766 species are endangered and 3947 species are critically endangered. Here we are talking about the species and not of individual. The total population of threatened organisms run into millions.
The most endangered species in India includes
• Asiatic lion
• Bengal Tiger
• Snow leopard
• Nilgiri Tahr
• Kashmiri Red Stag
• Black buck
• One horned rhinoceros
• Malabar Mahogany
• Musli
• Red Sandalwood
• Assam Catkin Yew
• Ebony
• Hinckley Oak
The main causes of such devastating condition of plants and animals are
• Habitat loss and destruction
• Over hunting and over harvesting
• Over exploitation of resources
• Intoduction of Invasive species
• Deforestation
• Human population growth
• Pollution
• Industrialization
• Urbanization
• Climate change and global warming
• Acid rain
• Nitrogen pollution
Such incremental rate of loss of species is not a good sign. It is an inhumane act to destroy the habitat of millions of flora and fauna. Just think of being homeless for a while. The condition of wildlife is really pathetic. Our upcoming generation will not be fortunate enough to see many species that we today see easily around us. The natural resources are not merely for our personal benefit . We should be morally bound and have proper conscience about what we are doing. We are destroying the right to life of many species just because we are bound by our greed and false sense of superiority.
All this is leading to the ecosystem falling apart. The rare herbs of medicinal importance are being difficult to find , this is an immense shame to medical field. The crop yield is decreasing because more the number of species in an ecosystem more the crop yield. This also impacts the economy of nation. The ecosystem chains are disturbed terribly.
Proper measures should be adopted to decrease the pace of loss of extinction. Various national parks, sanctuaries, conservation reserve, community reserves and wildlife reserve should be established. Proper ambience should be created in the in-situ conservation sites. Reforestation and tree plantation programs should be campaigned. Lets work together to create a healthy environment where every species and every organism has the Right to Live and Right to Habitat.
