World Environment Day 2023 | 'We have to know what we have even before it is lost!'

A fishing cat feeding on fish (Photo credit: Wikimedia Commons Anirnoy)

In December, World Wildlife Fund’s (WWF) Living Planet Report 2022 noted that the monitored populations of mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles and fish had dropped by a staggering 69 percent since 1970. India has been impacted too. Four species of animals have already become extinct in the
past few centuries - the cheetah (now reintroduced to Madhya Pradesh’s Kuno National Park), the Sumatran rhinoceros, the Himalayan quail and the pink-headed duck. Forests and wildlife continue to remain under threat due to anthropogenic pressures. While conservation efforts are helping, awareness about our country’s biodiversity and urgent actions are required if we are to reverse losses.

Indian Mammals: A Field Guide

It’s what makes Indian Mammals: A Field Guide by wildlife conservationist Vivek Menon an essential read. The latest update of the best-selling book features more than 440 species of both terrestrial and aquatic mammals.

Menon is founder executive director of the Wildlife Trust of India (WTI); adviser at International Fund for Animal Welfare; councillor, International Union for Conservation for Nature (IUCN); and Chair, Asian Elephants Specialist Group of the IUCN, Species Survival Commission.

We spoke to the author about the biggest challenges for Indian mammals, the impact of climate change and how more people can become wildlife enthusiasts. Excerpts:

What prompted you to update 'Indian Mammals', and how important is such a book at a time when a WWF report claims that biodiversity in the world has declined by 69 percent?

Since Indian Mammals was published, it has sold out several reprints. But in the 14 years it has been in print, so many new species have been discovered in India. There’s also so much new knowledge that it was important to totally redo the book. And of course, it is critical as we have to know what we have even before it is lost!

We are living not so much in a golden age of new evidence, but in one of hyper-abundance. How easy or difficult was it to gather information and connect the dots for this book?

That’s a good question. In terms of photos, I keep getting so many new and stunning photos as people reach difficult places, and have better equipment and skills to take great photos. But new research is actually limited, except in some areas. So, collecting information is easy, but knowing what to use is important.

Is there a trend you have spotted in the mammal world?

The book is a field guide, not an analysis. However, we do give the threat status of every animal in the top header and you can see that not many animal statuses have changed to lesser-threatened categories.

Can a book on mammals encourage ecotourism?

Totally, as many tourists use it to identify the animals they see. The front pages have sections on how they can do that in a responsible manner. The companion book on Nature Reserves of India will be equally important. It comes out next year.

ecotourism

Can a book influence public policy and boost conservation efforts?

I should hope so. It is very important to get everyone interested in watching wildlife so they know more about conservation and the status of our species in the wild. This is a soft way of doing so.

How much of a role do invasive species play in today’s world?

They are critical. Mammals in New Zealand, for example, are largely invasive except for a few endemic species. I, however, don’t deal with it as we don’t have invasive mammals in India.

What, according to you, is the biggest conservation challenge for Indian mammals?

Space. Forests, grasslands, deserts, water bodies - they are all shrinking. We need large or at least medium-sized interconnected habitats to have a natural ecosystem.

Are we, even today, truly understanding the full impact of climate change on wildlife?

No, we are not. It is astonishing how much of hot air there is around climate change with so little happening on the ground, politically or actually. We are tethering on the brink.

How does one with an interest in Indian mammals become a wildlife enthusiast?

There is no checklist, but I will keep it in mind for my next book. It is generally simple, though. Read up enough so you know what to expect, have the basic tools (an open mind, good binoculars and a good field guide), and go where mammals are. You can easily become a naturalist or mammal watcher by doing that.

Indian Mammals: A Field Guide by Vivek Menon is published by Hachette India. It is priced at Rs 1,299.