
CHENNAI: From the waves that wash over the scorching sand to the trees that grow from every crack in the cement, from the hot breeze on a summer day to the ripe mangoes hanging from low branches — Chennai is home to not only people but animals and plants alike.In an attempt to protect threatened and endangered species in the world, this year’s Earth Day is themed, ‘Protect Our Species’. With studies pointing out that we are losing species at an accelerated rate of 1,000 to 10,000 times the normal per five years, multiple species are at the risk of extinction daily.
On the land
One doesn’t need to look further than Madras Crocodile Bank Trust and Centre for Herpetology for rare and endangered species. The research station in Mamallapuram is home to many critically endangered species such as the gharial, red-crowned roof turtle, northern river terrapin and Siamese crocodiles. “Reptiles play a vital role in keeping a balance in the ecosystem. They are both predators and preys for several animals,” says Zai Whitaker, joint director, Madras Crocodile Bank Trust.On March 30, a female Cuban crocodile was found dead on the premises of the crocodile bank. As it is a critically endangered (CR) species, herpetologist Romulus Whitaker posted on social media that this crocodile was part of a critical breeding group.According to Zai, habitat loss, deforestation, global warming, and human activity affect the lives of these animals.
In the sea
We meet our next visitors just beyond the ECR and across the sand. The ocean around the city is home to one of the largest sea turtles, the leatherback turtle — another CR species as per the International Union for Conservation of Nature. Records of dolphin species including the bottlenose, spinner, Indo-pacific humpback and pantropical spotted, and whale species including the blue whale, sperm whale, and cuvier’s beaker whale, have been spotted in our shore.“Rampant destruction of ecosystems by coastal communities, caused mainly by illiteracy and poverty, is the primary problem for all endangered marine life. Though the nesting turtles and their eggs are being monitored on the protected beaches, it has become equally important to protect the turtles in their ocean habitat as well,” shares Dr Supraja Dharini, chairperson, TREE Foundation. Accidental contact with fishing gear, she explains, put turtle species at risk.
Between streets
Chennai does not shelter only threatened species. Growing between walls and pebbles are several species of indigenous plants, such as veppalai (dyer’s oleander), Arjun tree, and punnai (cypress plant). These plants have adapted to the climate and soil of the region, and have unique social and cultural significance.
However, according to Shobha Menon, founder-trustee, Nizhal,citizen apathy is the main cause of risk for these plants. “The word ‘indigenous’ needs careful use. Sometimes it can be manipulated by nurseries that foist the most common species on the customer because they are the most easily available. First, become aware of what we need to preserve, then make careful choices of where to source and how to nurture them. Is it not the responsibility of the citizen to be sensitively aware of which choices to make to add to native biodiversity of flora in the city?” she says.
All around us
At a time when people continue to march in the streets of London as part of the Extinction Rebellion Movement, a non-violent civil disobedience against ecological collapse, citizen involvement is more important than ever. Shekar Dattatri, wildlife and conservation filmmaker, suggests that the common citizen follow two steps to help the conservation process. “The first step is to arm oneself with enough knowledge about a particular issue through extensive reading, interacting with subject experts and field visits. The second is to devise a pragmatic, strategic plan to systematically tackle a problem. Conservation gains are invariably the result of perseverance, so one must be prepared to work hard, as well as in cooperation with others,” he says.