My Science School

While the arrival of cheetahs from South Africa certainly dominated headlines in 2022, several other species too were in the spotlight in our country for various reasons. Let's take a look at a few of them

Tiger

As a keystone species, the tiger continues to get national attention, and rightly so. Our country is home to over 50 tiger reserves, and this year, two more got added to that list. The 52nd tiger reserve is in Rajasthan-Ramgarh Vishdhari, spread across Bundi, Bhilwara, and Kota districts over an area of more than 1,500 sq.km. The State's fourth tiger reserve - after Ranthambore, Sariska, and Mukundra, it is expected to be a major corridor connecting tigers of Ranthambore and Mukundra reserves. The country's 53rd tiger reserve is in Uttar Pradesh-the Ranipur Tiger Reserve in Chitrakoot district, spread over nearly 530 sq.km. This is the State's fourth tiger reserve after Dudhwa, Pilibhit, and Amangarh. The new reserve in the Bundelkhand region is just 150 km from the Panna Tiger Reserve in Madhya Pradesh.

Elephant

While Project Tiger is perhaps the most popular in the country, there are other projects looking at protecting specific species. One of them is Project Elephant. Set up in 1992, the initiative has been pivotal in the creation of several elephant reserves across the country. In October, the newest addition to the list - Terai Elephant Reserve at Dudhwa-Pilibhit in Uttar Pradesh - was approved by the Union government. When it becomes a reality, it will be the country's 33rd elephant reserve, and according the government, "will help in conserving trans-boundary migratory elephant population".

Dugong

The year 2022 is seen as a watershed moment in the conservation of a vulnerable marine species-the dugong. Tamil Nadu notified India's first ever dugong conservation reserve in the Palk Bay area of the Gulf of Mannar, which lies between Sri Lanka and the southern tip of India. The move, though seen as long overdue, is vital for the animal as much as it is for the local communities. Keeping with dismal global records, India's dugong population too has been declining. It is believed that there could be just around 200 dugongs left in our waters. These marine mammals, also called sea cows, can be spotted in our country near the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and off the coast of Tamil Nadu in the Gulf of Mannar and Palk Bay. It's in the Palk Bay, on approximately a 450-sq km. area, that the reserve will come up.

Turtles

It's not just large creatures that were in the news in 2022. Even smaller ones such as tortoises and turtles got global attention. To be precise, at the 19th Meeting of the Conference of the Parties (CoP 19) to the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) held at Panama City in November. According to the Union government. "At CoP 19, India's proposal for induction of fresh water turtle Batagur kachuga eamed wide support of the parties in CoP 19 of CITES It is said that CITES also recorded the works done "in the area of conservation of tortoises and fresh water turtles and efforts made in combating wildlife crime and illegal trade of turtles in the country" At the event, India "reiterated its commitment regarding conserving tortoises and fresh water turtles in the country"

Great Indian bustard

The one bird species that's often in the news in our country is the great Indian bustard. It was no different in 2022. Though the news about the bird is often worrisome, this time around it appeared to offer some hope for the species, and consequentially, conservationists. One of the reasons for the bird's fatality is through overhead power lines hit. The Supreme Court had initiated many steps to protect the species, including setting up a three-member committee to assess the feasibility of laying high-voltage underground power cables in Rajathan and Gujarat, States where the birds are sighted today. In such a scenario, late in 2022, the country's top court asked the union government why it should not consider the idea of establishing Project Great Indian Bustard on the lines of the country's successful Project Tiger.

Picture Credit : google 

The year 2022 has seen quite a number of species getting reintroduced into the wild while some were discovered. Here are a few animals and birds that made to our list of animals in spotlight.

TASMANIAN TIGER

The 1930s saw the marsupial Tasmanian Tiger go extinct. Now efforts are being taken to resurrect the animal using gene-editing technology. The $15-million project hopes to reintroduce the animal to Tasmania, its native place. This attempt is expected to bring back the ecological balance in the region. Seen here is a stuffed Tasmanian tiger which was declared extinct in 1936.

SNOW CRABS

A huge collapse in the population of snow crabs was found after 11 billion snow crabs disappeared off the coast of Alaska. The crabs are disappearing in the Bering Sea and scientists believe that global warming could have resulted in the vanishing of these crabs. The sea was warmer in the previous years and this could have been the reason for the mass die-off. The decline in the numbers were noted when the survey was conducted in 2021. The survey result was confirmed this year too and it was ascertained that the crabs didn't move to any other place, but disappeared. Their total numbers fell to about 1.9 billion in 2022, from 11.7 billion in 2018.

CHEETAH

The last cheetah died in India in 1947. And over 70 years after the animal was declared extinct in India, the country launched its ambitious programme "Project Cheetah to reintroduce cheetahs into the wild. Eight cheetahs including five females and three males were introduced as they were brought in from Namibia, southern Africa to Kuno National Park, Madhya Pradesh. Seen here is a cheetah after being released inside a special enclosure of the Kuno National Park in Madhya Pradesh.

IVORY-BILLED WOODPECKER

For long researchers believed that the ivory-billed woodpecker got extinct. But this year, a few researchers have claimed that the very bird which was declared extinct by the U.S. government was spotted in the forests of Louisiana. The researchers have claimed its spotting based on a series of grainy pictures and observations of the bird. Once relatively common, the numbers of ivory-billed woodpeckers started dropping with habitat loss due to human intervention and hunting. It is the largest woodpecker in the U.S.

APIS KARINJODIAN

Did you know that the last time a honey bee species was discovered in India was in 1798? And now, after a gap of 224 years, a new honey bee species endemic to Western Ghats has been discovered. Named Apis Karinjodian, the species has been classified as 'near threatened’ by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). With the new addition, now we have a total of 11 species of duster honey bees in the world.

WILD BISON

The year saw the wild bison get reintroduced to the U.K. for the first time in thousands of years. The species classified as near threatened was introduced into a woodland in Kent. The bison is being reintroduced as part of the Wilder Blean project. The idea for the reintroduction of the species is to restore natural landscapes. It is also a rewilding attempt to check if the animal's behaviour can help transform a commercial pine forest into a natural forestland.

GREAT INDIAN BUSTARD

The Great Indian Bustard (GIB) came into focus once again this year when the Supreme Court of India asked if a Project GIB on the lines of Project Tiger could be launched to protect the bird. Found mainly in Rajasthan and Gujarat, the GIB has been labelled as critically endangered by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The SC bench asked this whilst hearing petitions on the situation of the bird and their deaths in large numbers due to electrocution from high-transmission power lines.

Picture Credit : Google 

Cloud forests are usually found in tropical rainforests of South America, Southeast Asia and Africa.

A cloud forest is constantly enveloped by dense clouds that penetrate right through the ground. This creates some unique conditions- very moist and misty environment, thick vegetation with a lot of moss growth, boggy forest floors, constant sounds of water dripping (from fog that condenses and falls off the leaves) and very low visibility.

Cloud forests are usually found in tropical rainforests of South America, Southeast Asia and Africa. These forests are also referred to as fog forests, or moss forests. Cloud forests attract researchers who like to study the abundant species of water-loving plants, animals and birds that are found there. They are a source of pure fresh water.

A large percentage of the biodiversity contained within these forests is yet to be catalogued. Species thought to be extinct have been discovered in these forests.

Some of the cloud forests have become popular travel destinations. The Monteverde Cloud Forest Reserve is referred to as one of the "seven wonders of Costa Rica" and it attracts about 70,000 tourists annually. It is known to contain the largest number of orchids in the world. Cloud forests are now a concern for conservationists and The Cloud Forest Agenda Report of the UNEP and UNESCO seeks to initiate action to preserve cloud forests.

Picture Credit : Google