Red Sanders (Red Sandalwood) has fallen back into the ‘endangered’ category in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.
Context
Red Sanders (Red Sandalwood) has fallen back into the ‘endangered’ category in the International Union for Conservation of Nature’s (IUCN) Red List.
About the Species
- The species, Red Sandalwood (Pterocarpus santalinus), is an Indian endemic tree species, with a restricted geographical range in the Eastern Ghats.
- The species is endemic to a distinct tract of forests in Andhra Pradesh.
- It was classified as ‘near threatened’ in 2018 and has now joined the ‘endangered’ list once again.
- It was a moment of celebration when the species was lifted off from the endangered category for the first time since 1997.
- The latest IUCN assessment stated: “Over the last three generations, the species has experienced a population decline of 50-80 per cent. It is assessed as Endangered”.
IUCN’s Red List
- The IUCN maintains a list — called the Red List — of flora and fauna species and categorises them based on their conservation status.
- The status ranges from ‘least concern’ for the species that are abundant in numbers to ‘extinct’ for those that have completely disappeared from the planet.
- Species that come under ‘critically endangered’, ‘endangered’ and ‘vulnerable’ categories are considered threatened.
|
