COIMBATORE: The Tamil Nadu Forest Department, with the help of the Care Earth Trust, has recently developed an illustrated guide - Lesser Known Vertebrates of Tamil Nadu - under the Tamil Nadu Biodiversity Conservation and Greening Project for Climate Change Response (TBGPCCR).
The primary objective of the book is to assist forest department staff in identifying common yet little-known species and a few endemic species they might encounter in their daily work.
The authors of the book are Principal Chief Conservator of Forests (Research and Education) and Chief Managing Director of Green Tamil Nadu Mission I Anwardeen, Additional Principal Chief Conservator of Forests and Chief Project Director of TBGPCCR S Ramasubramanian, ecologist and co-founder of the Care Earth Trust Dr RJ Ranjit Daniels, elephant expert Dr PS Easa, conservation biologist from Kerala KP Rajkumar, and Forest Range Officer of Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR) G Venkatesh.
The biodiversity of Tamil Nadu is not fully documented despite notable efforts. The state supports at least 1,000 species of vertebrates, excluding marine fish. This publication addresses the lack of an easy-to-understand, single-source guide on the fauna of Tamil Nadu, focusing on the state's lesser-known vertebrates. The Galaxy frog, Star-eyed tree frog, Hump-nosed pit viper, Rufous-bellied hawk-eagle, and Anamalai wood snake (endemic) are found in Valparai and the Anamalai Tiger Reserve (ATR).
The publication describes, with illustrations, around 100 species of lesser-known vertebrates of Tamil Nadu. The descriptions account for 33 fishes, 22 amphibians, 20 reptiles, 15 birds, and 10 mammals.
"This guide is intended to serve as a reference for species identification and to improve staff awareness and understanding of species and their habitats. It will support efforts in protecting species and recognising biodiversity value, build overall conservation awareness and knowledge over the long term, and facilitate accurate reporting of species distribution and observations during various wildlife censuses. It will also strengthen the implementation of the Wildlife Protection Act through informed field practices,"said Anwardeen.
Ramasubramanian said, "A relatively larger number of freshwater species have been included, as studies indicate that they are being exploited in various ways across the region. Other species have been carefully chosen based on their biological and social relevance, as well as their legal status."
An ecologist and co-founder of the Care Earth Trust, RJ Ranjit Daniels said, "Species names change over time with the advancement of science. As a result, all known common English names have been included. Scientific names also undergo revision, and the most recent scientific names have been adopted throughout the book. However, for species listed in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act, 2022, the common English names and scientific names provided in the Schedules of the Act have been included, except where spelling errors occurred."
Box:
* Forests occupy an area of 22,643 km2 (8,743 sq mi) constituting 17.4% of the geographic area
* Protected areas cover an area of 3,305 km2 (1,276 sq mi), constituting 2.54% of the geographic area and 15% of the forest (8,743 sq mi) is recorded forest area of TN
* TN's varied altitudes and microclimates have fostered high levels of endemism and ecological specialisation