From Our Special Correspondent
New Delhi: There are about 100 species from as many as 48 countries dubbed as most threatened by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), but of this at least two are from India’s Northeast and the cause is most surprising -its vast hydel power potential.
The population of the White-bellied Heron or the Imperial Heron, is estimated to be between 70 and 400. The species is “known from the eastern Himalayan foothills in Bhutan and Northeast India to the hills of Bangladesh, north Myanmar and, historically, across west and central Myanmar.
The rare bird is primarily found in small or large rivers, usually with sand or gravel bars, often within or adjacent to subtropical broadleaf forests, says the IUCN Red list. The destruction of habitat due to the development of hydel power projects has been identified as the cause for the falling numbers.
Besides the White-bellied Heron, the Great Indian Bustard, the Peacock Tarantula and the Spoon-billed Sandpiper of India are also among the 100 most threatenedspecies of the planet and “closest to extinction.”
The Javan Rhino and Sumatran Rhino — considered extinct in India — are also present in the list compiled by scientists of the IUCN.
Hunted for its horn, which is used in some traditional medicines, the Sumatran Rhinoceros has been reduced to around 250 individuals worldwide. The species was earlier reported from the foothills of the Himalayas in Bhutan and NE India.