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Wildlife Conservation Efforts

IUCN Redlist Update of Indian Species

Species | Enviro & Biodiversity | Mains Paper 3: Conservation, Environmental Pollution & Degradation, Eia

Why in the News?

In the latest State of India’s Birds (SoIB) 2025 report and IUCN assessment, four bird species dependent on these ecosystems have been uplisted, reflecting alarming habitat loss and population decline.

Bird Species Uplisted by IUCN:

  1. Indian Courser (Cursorius coromandelicus):
    • Endemic to the Indian Subcontinent.
    • Uplisted from Least Concern → Near Threatened due to loss of grasslands and fallow land.
  2. Indian Roller (Coracias benghalensis): Uplisted to Near Threatened; impacted by habitat conversion and electrocution from power lines.
  3. Rufous-tailed Lark (Ammomanes phoenicura): Uplisted to Near Threatened; declining due to intensive agriculture and land-use change.
  4. Long-billed Grasshopper-Warbler (Locustella major): Uplisted to Endangered; severely impacted by loss of reedbeds and open scrub habitat.

About State of India’s Birds (SoIB) Assessment:

  • Overview: SoIB is conducted by the State of India’s Birds Partnership, a consortium of 13 government and non-government institutions, including BNHS, WII, ZSI, SACON, WTI, WWF-India, ATREE, NCF, FES, Wetlands International – South Asia, NCBS, and NBA.
  • Coverage: Of 1,360 bird species assessed globally, 12 species were from India.
  • Findings:
    • 8 species downlisted (showing improved conservation trends).
    • 4 species uplisted, highlighting heightened risk of extinction.
  • The report underscores the fragility of India’s open-country habitats, which support a unique but shrinking avifaunal diversity.

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