Red data Book

29th December is observed as the World Biodiversity Day to create awareness about the importance of the conservation of biodiversity. Biodiversity is the foundation of the healthy and functioning ecosystem. Many species of animals and plants are now on the verge of extinction due to the interference in their natural ecosystems. The Red data book is the record of the list of animals and plants which are facing the risk of danger. It contains Red, Pink and Green pages.

Species treated as threatened are listed by various agencies as well as by some private organisations. The most cited of this list is the Red Data Book. It is a loose-leaf volume of information on the status of many kinds of species. This volume is continually updated and is issued by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (lUCN) located in Morges, Switzerland. The Red Data Book was first issued in 1966 by the lUCN’s Special Survival Commission as a guide for the formulation, preservation and management of species listed. In the Red data book, information for endangered mammals and birds is more extensive than for other groups of animals and plants.

The Red data book contains three coloured pages, Red, Pink and Green. Red is symbolic of the danger that some species of both plants and animals presently experience throughout the globe. The Pink pages in the Red data book include the critically endangered species. Green pages are used for those species that were formerly endangered but have now recovered to a point where they are no longer threatened.

Some animals included in the Red data book are:

The Nilgiri Tahr
In the district of Idukki, Eravikulam, near Munnar is the home of Nilgiri Tahr(Mountain goat). The Tahrs that exist in the High Ranges in Kerala are a friendly lot. By the closing years of the 19th century, uncontrolled hunting and poaching had, however, reduced the Tahr to such an extent that their numbers probably did not exceed a hundred.

Golden Lion Tamarin

The Golden Lion Tamarin’s long, silky fur, particularly at the shoulders, gives it a lion-like mane. Tamarins are some of the smallest members of the primate family.

Lion-tailed Macaque

The Lion-tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus), named for its lion-like tail, is the most threatened primate in our rain forests. Macaca silenus seems unable to adapt to close proximity to humankind, preferring to live high in the treetops, rarely venturing down to the forest floor.

Malabar Civet Cat

The Malabar Large-spotted Civet ‘s original habitat was found in the Malabar Coast moist forests belt below the Western Ghats, where it lived in wooded plains and adjoining hill slopes. It was once very common in the coastal districts of Malabar and Travancore.

Red Panda

Red panda shares the giant panda’s rainy, high-altitude forest habitat, but has a wider range. Red pandas are endangered, victims of deforestation. Their natural space is shrinking as more and more forests are destroyed by logging and the spread of agriculture.