Ladakh: Snow Leopard, Black-necked Crane named state animal and bird

The administration of the Ladakh Union Territory declared the snow leopard to be the state animal. The black-necked crane was also named the state bird. On Thursday, this remark was issued. The black-necked crane can be found in eastern Ladakh's high-altitude wetlands and marshes, according to Ladakh MP Jamyang Tsering Namgyal. He discussed the announcement with ANI.

Ladakh: Snow Leopard declared as Ladakh state animal; black-craned neck as state bird

"It is mostly listed as Near Threatened on the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) red list. These birds arrive in Ladakh in March for breeding and migrate by October end or early November," Namgyal said. The Department of Information and Public Relations in Leh had earlier put up a tweet to inform the public about the decision, "The Administration of Union Territory of Ladakh declares 'Snow Leopard' & 'Black Necked Crane' as the State Animal & State Bird respectively of UT Ladakh”. On August 5, 2019, the Centre repealed Article 370, which granted special status to the erstwhile state of Jammu and Kashmir and divided the territory into two territories: Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh. This decision came after Article 370 was repealed. 

What is the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species?

The IUCN Red List of Threatened Species is the world's most comprehensive inventory of plant and animal species' global conservation status. It assesses the extinction risk of thousands of species using a set of quantitative criteria. These requirements apply to almost all species and all parts of the globe. The IUCN Red List is widely regarded as the most authoritative guide to the status of biological diversity, because of its strong scientific foundation. The extinction risk of species considered is defined by the IUCN Red List Categories. From NE (Not Evaluated) to EX (Extinct). There are nine categories. The IUCN Red List threat categories are listed below in descending order of threat: 

• Species that are Extinct or Extinct in the Wild
• Species that are Critically Endangered, Endangered and Vulnerable: species threatened with global extinction.
• Species that are Near Threatened. These are species close to the threatened thresholds or that would be threatened without ongoing conservation measures.
• Species that are of Least Concern. These species were evaluated with a lower risk of extinction.
• Data Deficient. No assessment on these species because of insufficient data.

International Union for Conservation of Nature's role at the UN

The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) is officially known as International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources. It is an organisation dedicated to environmental protection and sustainable resource management. It works on data collection and analysis, research, field projects, activism, and education, among other things. The purpose of the IUCN is to influence, encourage, and assist. The IUCN has to guide societies throughout the world to conserving nature. Their scope also includes ensuring that any use of natural resources is equitable and ecologically sustainable. At the United Nations, the IUCN has observer and consultative status, and it participates in the implementation of various international conventions on nature protection and biodiversity. The body was involved in establishing the World Wide Fund for Nature and the World Conservation Monitoring Centre as well.

With inputs from ANI. 

(IMAGE: @SURENMEHRA - TWITTER)