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Government of India Ministry of Environment and Forests (Wildlife Division) Paryavaran Bhawan CGO Complex, Lodhi Road New Delhi-110003 F. No. 4-38/2010 WL (pt) Dated : 230 March 2011 Sub: Report of the Steering Committee constituted for the purpose of the Red Listing process in India. ‘The undersigned has been directed to enclose herewith a copy of the report of the Steering Committee constituted by the Ministry of Environment and Forests for the purpose of Red Listing process in India, for kind perusal and necessary action.a (Prakriti Srivastava) Deputy Inspector General (WL) Telefax: 011-24360704 E.mail: digwl-mef@nic.in Encl: As above Distribution: Shri A.K. Srivastava, Inspector General of Forests (WL), MoEF. The Director, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun. Dr Venkatraman, Director, Zoological Sutvey of India, Kolkata. Dr D.K. Singh, Director, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata. Dr J.S. Rawat, IUCN-India, Office, Anand Lok, New Delhi. Dr Asad Rahmani, Director, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai. Dr Sanjay Molur, Executive Director, Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore. Dr J.R. Bhatt, Director, CS Division, MoEF Copy to: PS to Hon’ble MEF PPS to the Secretary (H&P) PPS to DGF&SS PPS to Addl. DGF(WL)

Report of the Steering Committee constituted for the Red Listing process in India yoke The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List of Threatened Species is a widely recognized global approach for assessing the conservation status of wild plant and animal species. In order to produce the IUCN Red List of Threatened Species, the IUCN Species Programme working with the IUCN Survival Commission (SSC) and with members of IUCN draws on and mobilizes a network of scientists and partner organizations working at the global level. A consultative workshop was jointly organized by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the IUCN -India on 1s February 2011 to take stock of the need for initiating the red listing process in India. Important scientific institutes, Non Governmental Organizations working in the field of species conservation participated in the workshop. In India, many organizations have been working independently on the red listing process focusing on specific areas of interest as islands of excellence. It is felt that the Ministry of Environment and Forests should provide necessary coordinating mechanism to integrate the efforts of scientific and voluntary organizations resulting into a scientifically acceptable useful output. It is also felt that the process of red listing of species for the country should follow the framework of IUCN Regional Guidelines and criteria. Further, that the red listing process in India should be carried out on a regular basis in the country and all the taxa be covered in the red listing exercise so that the status of each species may be determined on a regular and continuous basis while such scientific knowledge would also help in formulating management interventions for the conservation of species and their habitat by the Ministry of Environment and Forests. One of the outcomes of the above Consultative Workshop was to constitute a Steering Committee (SC) for the Red Listing process in India. The Ministry Environment and Forests had accordingly, constituted the SC on 150 February 2011 under the Chairmanship of the Addl. Director General of Forests (WL). The constitution and Terms of Reference of the SC is given in the ANNEXURE. Keeping the Terms of Reference in view, a meeting of the Steering Committee was convened on 10% March 2011 in Room No. 403, Paryavatan Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodi Road, New Delhi. ‘The participants who attended the meeting include: il Shti Jagdish Kishwan, Chairman Addl. Director General of Forests (Wildlife) & Director, Wildlife Preservation 2 Shri A.K. Srivastava, Member Inspector General of Forests (Wildlife) 3 Shri P.R. Sinha, Member Director, Wildlife Institute of India, Dehradun

4 Dr D.K. Singh, Member Director, Botanical Survey of India, Kolkata 5 Dr J.S. Rawat, Member IUCN-India Office, New Delhi 6 Dr Asad Rahmani, Member Director, Bombay Natural History Society, Mumbai 7 Dr Sanjay Molur, Member Executive Director, Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore 8 Dr J.R. Bhatt, Co-convenot Director, CS Division, MoEF 9 Ms. Prakriti Srivastava, Co-convenot and Member- Deputy Inspector General (Wildlife), MoRF Secretary 10 Shri Prabhat Tyagi Invitee Joint Director (WL), MoEF 11 Dr Ishwar N. M Invitee IUCN-India Office, New Delhi In the above mentioned meeting, the following agenda items pertaining to Red listing process in India were discussed: (i) Strategy to be adopted for undertaking the Red listing process in India and delegation of task to the institutes/organizations (ii) Institutional mechanism for undertaking Red listing process in India on regular basis During the meeting, it was highlighted that the Red listing is in itself a complex and time consuming process and requires a dedicated team to work out the modalities for operationalization. The IUCN prescribes that the assessments must follow the current version of the IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria and that all assessments must be based on data currently available for the taxon across its entire global range and that the full account of past and present literature (published and grey) and other reliable sources of information relating to the taxon must be taken into consideration. Further, it was also highlighted that it would be of great advantage for India to present a report of the Red list of species during the COP 11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) to be held in New Delhi in October 2012. After detailed discussions, the Steering Committee took the following decisions: 1; To begin with, two documents/books, one each on ‘Red list of Indian Plants’ and Red list of Indian Animals’, following the IUCN criteria, would be released during the COP-11 of the Convention on Biological Diversity to be held in New Delhi in October 2012.

The draft copies of the documents/books would be ready by 315 March 2012 and ptinting of both would be completed by 30% June 2012. Any other documents/books on status of species of plants and animals, as part of or supplementing the red listing process could also be prepared and presented as a run-up to the COP-12. The Director, Botanical Survey of India (BSI) shall be the focal point for the red listing exercise with respect to plant species. The Director, Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) shall be the focal point for the red listing exercise with respect to animal species. Both IUCN-India Office, New Delhi and the Zoo Outreach Organization, Coimbatore, would be involved in the red listing exercise of plants as well as animal species. The Director, BSI and the Director, ZSI would co-opt as many experts (individuals and/or organizations) as required, to form a core group, each for plants and animal species separately for completion of the red listing exercise within the stipulated time period. The Director, BSI and the Director, ZSI would communicate the names/details of such experts co-opted by them, to the Addl. Director General of Forests (WL) by 31st March 2011. Red listing of other species/taxa (which have not been covered in the first exercise) would be taken up on a regular basis and would be published accordingly in such a way that eventually all species/taxa would be covered and each year at least one output will be produced by the two focal points/core groups. The Steering Committee (SC) would monitor and guide the process of red listing of species in India and would also decide timeframe for such assessments based on progress. Therefore, the nature of the SC would be of permanent nature and thus its term would not end on 315 March 2011, the last date for completion of this report. Every taxa covered during a particular year will be re-visited after the third year and the status would be reviewed and findings published. This process for other taxa would be continued on a regular basis.

13); 15. Necessary capacity building is an essential component of the process and should be tagged with meetings of the core groups in different organizations. (For example, the previous day of the actual meeting of the core groups could be devoted for capacity building meeting/training). The meetings of the core croups should be held in different places (For example, Zoological Survey of India, Botanical Survey of India, Bombay Natural History Society, Zoo Outreach Organization, etc). ‘The concerned Divisions of the Ministry of Environment and Forests, the focal points and other related institutions/organizations involved in Red listing exercise ssaty budgetary provisions for make arrangements for, and allocate nec undertaking the exercise. ‘The proceedings of the meeting held on 10.03.2011 would form the basis of the report of the Steering Committee, hence no separate proceedings of the meeting are being issued, and this report may be construed as serving the record of the proceedings of the meeting also. Jeo e

ANNEXURE F. No. 4-38/2010 WL-I Government of India Ministry of Envitonment and Forests Wildlife Division Paryavaran Bhawan, CGO Complex, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110003. Dated: 15" February 2011. Office Memorandum जलललजगजजनब्मनः Sub: Constitution of Steering Committee for the Red listing process in India. In pursuance to the recommendations of the consultative workshop on the red listing process held on 1" February 2011, jointly by the Ministry of Environment and Forests and the International Union for Consetvation of Nature ([UCN), it has been decided to constitute a Steeting Committee to look into the entite gamut of issues related to the process of the red listing of species. 2. The composition and Terms of Reference of the Steering Committee are as under: 1. ‘Addl. Director General of Forests (WL) & Director, Wildlife | Chairman Preservation 2. Shri A-K. Srivastava, Inspector General of Forests (Wildlife) Member 3: Director, Wildlife Institute of India/his representative Member 4, Dr Venkatraman, Director, Zoological Survey of India Member 5. Dr D.K. Singh, Director, Botanical Survey of India Member हि[ 6. Dr J.S. Rawat, [UCN-India Office, New Delhi. _ | Member hs Dr Asad Rahmani, Director, Bombay Natural History Society, | Member Mumbai | | Dr Sanjay Molur, Executive Director, Zoo Outreach Organization, | Member Coimbatore 9. Dr J. R. Bhatt, Director, CS Division, MoEF Co-convenor 10. | Ms. Prakriti Srivastava, Deputy Inspector General (WL), MoRF Co-convenor and Member Secretary Contd..../2

‘Terms of Reference: i, To propose a clear and doable strategy and set of actions to move forward undertaking a Red listing process in India ii. To suggest delegation of task of Red listing of major taxa to various organization/institutions on the basis of their competence. iii, To suggest an institutional mechanism for undertaking Red listing process in India on regular basis. a: The committee would be free to co-opt any additional experts as members as per requirement. 4. The non-official members of the Committee shall be entitled for travelling and all other allowances as applicable to the non official members as per SR 190. 5. The Committee would submit its report by 31 March 2011. This issues with the approval of the Competent authority. ae (Prakriti Stivastava) Deputy Inspector General (WL) ‘Telefax: 011-24360704 Distribution: PS to Hon’ble MOS (I/C) E & F. PPS to Secretary, E&F. PPS to DGF & SS. PPS to Addl. DGF (WL). PS to IGF (WL) All Members of Steering Committee. L* NIC Cell- with a request to upload the O.M on the official website of MoEF. eS? जी