In a remarkable turn of events, the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has reclassified the Asiatic lion, found primarily in Gujarat, from “endangered” to “vulnerable“. The report highlights that the Asiatic lion’s population decline risk is 19 times lower than that of their African counterparts, primarily due to effective measures against poaching and habitat loss in India.
The Asiatic lion was categorized “endangered” in 2008. This change reflects the significant strides made in conservation efforts, leading to a more stable and growing population of these majestic creatures.
KnowALLedge Plus:
>Asiatic lions evolved in Europe, migrated to Asia Minor and eventually to the Indian subcontinent due to climatic changes. Hunting was regulated and later banned by the Nawab of Junagadh. After India’s independence, serious conservation measures were initiated, and the Gir lion sanctuary was declared in 1965 in the erstwhile Nawab’s private hunting area.
>The history of the IUCN’s species classification system dates back to 1964 with the establishment of the Red List of Threatened Species. This list has become the most comprehensive global approach for evaluating the conservation status of global flora and fauna.
>The Red List categorizes species into nine different conservation statuses:
– Not Evaluated (NE): Species not yet assessed against the criteria.
– Data Deficient (DD): Not enough data to make an assessment of its risk of extinction.
– Least Concern (LC): Species evaluated with a low risk of extinction.
– Near Threatened (NT): Species close to qualifying for or likely to qualify for a threatened category in the near future.
– Vulnerable (VU): Species considered to be facing a high risk of extinction in the wild.
– Endangered (EN): Species at a very high risk of extinction in the wild.
– Critically Endangered (CR): Species at an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.
– Extinct in the Wild (EW): Species known only to survive in cultivation, in captivity, or as a naturalized population outside its past range.
– Extinct (EX): No reasonable doubt that the last individual has died.