Efforts to conserve 0.7 pc of world's land could protect a third of four-limbed vertebrates: Study

New Delhi, Sep 9 (PTI) Conserving just 0.7 per cent of the world's land could help protect a third of the threatened four-limbed vertebrate species, including the gharial, a long-snouted and critically endangered crocodile found in the Indian subcontinent, according to a new research.

Researchers said that large gains in conservation can be made by focusing on regions home to exceptional biodiversity and, unique and endangered species, termed 'Evolutionarily Distinct and Globally Endangered (EDGE) species'.

Being evolutionarily distinct indicates how unique a species is, while global endangerment reflects how much at risk of extinction a species is. Species scoring high on both measures are known as EDGE species, and the areas where they are found in more numbers are EDGE Zones, the team, led by researchers at Imperial College London, explained.

The authors mapped the distribution of almost 3,000 EDGE species. Specific areas where richness in EDGE species was found include large parts of Southeast Asia and the Indo-Gangetic plain, the Amazon basin, among others.

The authors, however, found that only 20 per cent of the areas included in the study are under some form of protection, with most areas facing consistent and increasing levels of human pressure. The findings are published in the journal Nature Communications.

Maximum richness in EDGE species was found within an area of less than 100 square kilometres in Madagascar, containing the highest number of EDGE species, along with Mexico and Indonesia.

"Our research highlights the regions of the world that are of immediate concern. Furthermore, it shows that in protecting just a fraction of the Earth's land surface, huge gains can be made for the preservation of nature," lead author Sebastian Pipins, from Imperial College London, said.

Pipins said it was crucial to just consider diversity in species for conservation efforts, but also the history of how the species evolved, "to ensure that large and unique branches from the tree of life are not lost." The researchers found that over 75 per cent of the EDGE species exist within a single country and underlined the critical importance of national leadership to support conservation efforts.

"Three-quarters of the world's most unique animals are able to call only one country home, meaning that action from individual nations will go a long way to protect these incredible species from extinction," co-author Rikki Gumbs, from the Zoological Society of London, said.

Very large areas of Southeast Asia have higher levels of EDGE species, which the researchers said reflects how the looming biodiversity disaster in this region is impacting the highly unique and wide-ranging species found within. PTI KRS NB NB