Biodiversity And Conservation Status Of Endemic Amphibians In The Western Ghats

Abstract

The Western Ghats is one of the hotspots of amphibians and many of them are restricted to this part of the world only. In an endeavour to explore these issues this research examines the biological richness, particularly the endemic amphibians, in the Western Ghats along with their distribution, preferred habitat, and the conservation concerns. By conducting field surveys and habitat ratings, and using IUCN Red List categorisations, we singled out several critical species and examined population outlook and risks for these species. In our study, we identified that these amphibians are very sensitive and vulnerable to the changes in the environment; particularly deforestation and urbanisation. Some of the species were listed as endangered or even critically endangered which underlined the need for species-saving measures. Conservation concerns are spread over habitat and species conservation, climate change, and community involvement in sustainable conservation project. Further studies should be concerned with lifelong field observation, ecological needs of the species, and genetic variation, needed for species conservation and management approaches. Altogether such findings suggest that cooperative measures have to be taken to conserve the rich and diverse amphibian of the Western Ghats and prevent their further decline.