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Saving endangered species
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Although India has many varieties of flora and fauna, the country ranks second in terms of threatened animals owing to ineffective policies and poaching.
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REMEMBER THE pitcher plant from biology class? The Nepenthes plant, described in textbooks as a rather insidious insectivorous plant that traps unsuspecting insects and digests them, is native to the Khasi Hills in North India. Although it remains larger than life in biology textbooks, the plant is in reality a rare and endangered species.
Government-funded projects are on to save the tiger, elephant, rhino and gharial but there are hundreds of other species of plant, animal and sea life endemic to India that also face extinction. The C.P.R Environmental Educational Centre on Eldams Road is holding an exhibition "Our Threatened Wildlife" to create awareness about the number of such endangered species and the role of individuals in environmental conservation.
India is one of the 12 mega-diversity countries of the world, which means we have a huge variety of flora and fauna. But we also rank number two in terms of the most number of threatened mammals. The main reasons for this are habitat destruction, ineffective policies, pollution and poaching. The main target audience of the exhibition, on till November 28, is school students. The exhibition displays charts and posters on various endangered species and means of conservation. "We're trying to get the kids to realise that a little thought and effort can make a big difference," said a volunteer at the centre who guided a group of std. VII students from Sharada Vidyalaya, T. Nagar, through the exhibition.
The tour began with an informal discussion about the environment. Starting with domestic animals, the volunteer led the students through the intricacies of the biological chain, making them realise the importance of every creature in the chain and the implications if the delicate system was disturbed. At the end of the half-hour discussion, she had the kids promising to save water, use paper judiciously and be more considerate to animals, birds and other creatures around them.
The exhibition ended with a multimedia presentation on wildlife. The volunteer said, private school kids usually raise more theory-based questions while looking at the posters and the corporation school children identified the creatures they saw on the multimedia presentation and asked questions. "They're used to seeing the organisms in real life and so they're able to identify with the moving pictures, the private school kids are usually confused for a moment when confronted with the visuals," said the volunteer.
Nearly 120 schools are expected to visit the exhibition. The Centre is also holding a quiz-and-poster making competition on the same theme.
The quiz is on November 20 at the C.P. Art Centre and the poster-making contest is on November 21 and 22, both at 2:30 p.m.
While the quiz will only have eight final teams, the poster-making contest is open to all.
SHALINI UMACHANDRAN
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