Climate change threatens Nilgiri tahr

Climate change threatens Nilgiri tahr

News:

According to a recent study published in Ecological Engineering, Niligiri tahrs could lose approximately 60% of their habitats from the 2030s

Important Facts:

1. Highlights of the study:

• To predict affect of climate change on tahr habitats, scientists had mapped tahr distribution
• Next they had used using climatic factors of these locations to predict where tahrs would be able to survive, given current and future climate change scenarios.
• They found that areas such as Chinnar, Eravikulam and Parambikulam in Kerala where there is high tahr population will still be stable habitats under different climate change scenarios.
• However, regions such as Kalakkad Mundanthurai Tiger Reserve in Tamil Nadu and the wildlife sanctuaries of Peppara, Neyyar, Schenduruny and Srivilliputhur, could experience severe habitat loss from 2030s onwards.

2. Status of Nilgiri Tahr:

• 2500 left in wild
• Vulnerable to local extinction
• According to IUCN, their population shows a decreasing trend

3. Conservation Efforts:

• Scientists of National Board for Wildlife had drafted a tahr recovery plan in 2010.
• However, only the Eravikulam and Mukurthi National Parks stress on tahr-centred conservation activities in their management plans. However, the progress in implementation has been questioned by environmentalists
• Environmentalists have called for a comprehensive species management plan for conservation of tahr