Summary of the Status of South Asian Non-volant Small …

Summary of the Status of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals, 2006

Summary of the Status of South AsianNon-volant Small Mammals

Rodents, Insectivores, Scandents, Lagomorphs, Pholidotes

2006

Little Indian field MouseMus booduga

Compiled by Sally Walker and Sanjay Molur with Illustrations by Arnab Roy from the Status of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals: Conservation

Assessment and Management Plan (C.A.M.P.) Workshop Report 2005


Summary taken from Status of South Asian Non-volant Mammals:Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (C.A.M.P.) WorkshopReport, 2005

Summary Compiled by :Sally Walker and Sanjay MolurPublished by: Zoo Outreach Organisation and

CBSG, South Asia in collaborationwith Wildlife Information & Liaison DevelopmentSociety

Copyright: © Zoo Outreach Organisation 2006

This publication can be reproduced for educational and non-commercialpurposes without prior permission from the copyright holder provided thesource is fully acknowledged.

Reproduction of this publication for resale or other commercial purposes isprohibited without prior permission (in writing) of the copyright holder.

ISBN: 81-88722-17-0

Citation: Walker, S. & S. Molur (Compilers) 2006. Summary of theStatus of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals. Extractedfrom the CAMP 2005 Report. Zoo Outreach Organisation,CBSG-South Asia and WILD, Coimbatore, India

Cover design, layout and produced by Zoo Outreach Organisation

Artwork by: Arnab Roy

The international boundaries of India reproduced in this book are neitherpurported to be correct nor authentic by the Survey of India directives.

Summary Report No. 13. (2006). Zoo Outreach Organisation / ConservationBreeding Specialist Group, South Asia, PB 1683, 29/1 Bharathi Colony,Peelamedu, Coimbatore 641004, Tamil Nadu, India. Ph. +91 422 2561087,2561743; Fax: 91 422 2563269Email: [email protected] / [email protected] / [email protected]: www.zooreach.org, www.zoosprint.org, www.southasiantaxa.org,www.pterocount.org

Cover pictures: Illustrations from Arnab Roy

Complete Report can be ordered from Zoo Outreach Organisation forRs. 1000.00 including postage for Indians and other South Asians and$ 50.00 including postage for individuals and institutions located outsideSouth Asia. Write to ZOO, POB 1683, Peelamedu, Coimbatore, Tamil Nadu641 004, India. Or contact by email: <[email protected]> or via website<www.zooreach.org>.

Credits

The workshop was facilitated andcoordinated by the IUCN SSCConservation Breeding SpecialistGroup�s regional network for SouthAsia (CBSG, South Asia).

The IUCN/SSC Rodent SpecialistGroup was represented by the Chair.

Other organizers and collaboratorswere :

Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO),and Wildlife Information & LiaisonDevelopment Society (WILD),Conservation Breeding SpecialistGroup

The workshop was sponsored by:Knowsley Safari Park, ColumbusZoo, Universities Federation forAnimal Welfare and Chester Zoo

SSC

RILSCINSA


The C.A.M.P. Process

The Conservation Assessment andManagement Plan (C.A.M.P.) processwas developed by the IUCN SSCConservation Breeding SpecialistGroup (CBSG) initially to assist zoosto prioritise species for conservationbreeding.

Now C.A.M.P.s are tools for other usesas well, such as for assessing theconservation status of species and alsofor national biodiversity strategicactivities.

A C.A.M.P. workshop brings togethera variety of professional wildlifemanagers, biologists, academicians,non-governmental organisations, zoomanagers, etc. -- all "stakeholders"because their vocation or avocationconcerns the vital issues which comeup in such a workshop.

The "stakeholders" contribute severaltypes of information which is used bythe workshop to evaluate the currentstatus of species, populations andhabitats and make recommendationsfor specific conservation-orientedresearch, management and publiceducation.

C.A.M.P.s are run according to aphilosophy of sharing information,resolving conflict, puttingconservation of species first andachieving consensus to forwardconservation action. There is a set ofGroundrules (opposite page) whichpeople commit to follow so that theworkshop runs efficiently.

C.A.M.P.s are very different andexciting kinds of workshops.Participants often work long into thenight and agonise over minute detailsfor days, but generally feel that theyhave contributed to a very usefulproduct at the end.

Introduction

Rodents ! Rats, mice, squirrels, shrews. Shrews are not rodentsactually; they are insectivores. Tree shrews belong to another orderaltogether, Scandentia. There are 185 species dealt with in thisReport Summary. Many subspecies were not assessed in the presentexercise, and possibly many dozens which have not been identified ordiscovered are not listed here. All are different enough to rate theirown subspecies, or even species. After some time of knowing ananimal as a particular species or subspecies, it turns out that itbelongs even to a different order of mammal altogether.

For most people this group of mammals are all just small, brown, furrythings which could carry some disease or scurry up your pants leg.Farmers fear small, brown, furry things as potential pests which eat uptheir grain. It is not just the layman or proverbial man-on-the-street,but even conservation biologists, foresters, and other wildlifespecialists have neglected the study and protection of this largestgroup of mammals.

As you will learn in this Summary, the great majority of non-volant(non-flying) small mammals are not pests at all, but innocent forestanimals doing what small mammals do for ecosystems ... dispersingseeds for healthy growth of vegetation, consuming excess grasseswhich can clog waterways, providing a food source for a great varietyof medium and large-sized mammals, birds, reptiles and even someinvertebrates.

Perhaps the majority of the general population does not care so muchabout large-bodied spiders or even larger mammals, birds and reptilesbut we ignore, neglect and reject animals at our own peril. Animal andplant life are the framework which underpins our survival. They keepour ecosystems healthy. We can't live without other organisms,whether we want to have anything to do with them or not. We arestuck with them, if we want to maintain our own quality of life andeven our chances of survival.

We depend on the unknown organism for more than ecosystem healthalso. Research scientists in the fields of health, medicine, foodproduction, even mechanics are forever learning something aboutimproving our lives by the use of another organism as providers oftheir unique DNA or by mimicing their unique body structure,movements or one of their systems.

Zoo Outreach Organisation (ZOO), Wildlife Information LiaisonDevelopment (WILD) and our partner networks with links to muchlarger conservation organisations, such as IUCN SSC, have elected tofocus our attention on groups of neglected fauna. The workshop andits output that is described herein reflects our attempt to do justice tothese groups and serve wildlife and biodiversity science by this focus.

This summary review of the workshop is for laypersons, students, andbusy professionals such as policy makers, foresters, wildlife protectionspecialists, educators, etc. who can't quite swallow the 618-pageReport. Everything you need to begin your interest in non-volant smallmammals is in here. Enjoy, and then use this information in your workand life.

1


Summary status of NVSMs in South Asia.

Category Endemics Non-endemics Total

Extinct (EX) 0 0 0

Extinct in the Wild (EW) 0 0 0

Locally Extinct (LE) 0 0 0

Critically Endangered (CR) 7 0 7

Endangered (EN) 20 4 24

Vulnerable (VU) 11 13 24

Near Threatened (NT) 6 24 30

Least Concern (LC) 16 68 84

Data Deficient (DD) 2 11 13

Not Evaluated (NE) 0 3 3

62 123 185

2

C.A.M.P. Ground Rules forGroup Interaction

These groundrules are used inour workshops so that we avoidwasting time and infructuousarguments, and that we get themost complete, objective andaccurate information possible. Wetake pains to see that the wholegroup of experts gathered for theworkshop agree on its accuracy.

Participate ... don�t dominate;give all a chance to contribute

Set aside all special agendasexcept conserving the taxa underassessment

Assume good intent of allparticipants. Treat otherparticipants with respect

Stick to the schedule... begin andend promptly

The primary work will beconducted in sub-groups

Facilitators of plenary sessionsor working groups can call �timeout� when discussions reach animpasse or stray too far off thetopic at hand

Agreements or recommendationsare reached by consensus

Plan to complete and review ofdraft report by the end of themeeting

Flexibility is the key. We adjustour process and schedule asneeded to achieve goals.

Summary status of NVSMsThe Table above and thisinformation itself may be a newsubject for you! We will explainand the information here willhelp you understand andappreciate the rest of thisdocument. Some terms that youwill encounter, perhaps for thefirst time, will be explained hereor you will be told on whichpages information about themcan be found.

About the TableThe Table summarises the statusof endemic and non-endemicNVSMs in South Asia and lists thetotal species numbers as 185.For better understanding of thesignificance of the figures andand of the IUCN Categories,please refer to pages 20-21 fordefinitions and descriptions andof how they are used to place ataxon in a category.

The other terms which may notbe familiar to you are �endemic�and �non-endemic�. Endemic �in this context � applies to aorganism or taxon (a species orsubspecies) which is found in aparticular locality and nowhereelse. The meaning of endemic inthis table is �found only in SouthAsia�. Therefore �non-endemic�means found both in South Asiaand other regions as well.This is important. Commonsense can explain why. If a

particular kind or type oforganism is restricted to a limitedarea (as opposed to the wholeworld), then its numbers and itspotential for survival maydecrease according to the sizeand number of localities.

If a taxa is endemic to South Asiait has a special significance toSouth Asia and its countries. Thatis that we in South Asia areresponsible for insuring thesurvival of that taxa on behalf ofand for the future benefit of thewhole world. A tiny mouse maycarry a DNA structure orbehavioural traits or skills whichcould provide cures for diseases,or mechanical advances to makeour lives safer and easier.

About the InformationThe assessments in the Reportand in this summary documentare based on information currentat the time of the C.A.M.P.Workshop in 2004. (What�s aC.A.M.P.? see page 1 sidebar againand the CAMP ground rules in thispage). This was the bestinformation available since it wasgiven by field biologists from thecountries of the region. As timegoes on, as other studies areconducted and otherassessments made, theseassessments may vary. Thesedifferences should not createdifficulties in understanding theplight of small mammals in South


Coorg ShrewSuncus montanus niger

Asia, however, and that is thepurpose of this document.

The point is that the overallstatus of Non-volant SmallMammals in South Asia isalarming. Almost one third �30% or 55 of the 185 species arethreatened with extinction ! Thatis a very large number ofthreatened species for such animportant taxon group.

The IUCN CategoriesFor the IUCN categories you canget a general meaning from pp.20-21. Sometimes the signifi-cance of some categories is notreadily apparent however, suchas the category �DataDeficient�?. It may seem thatthat is not even very important,but just think about it. If thereis no data, we cannot make astatus assessment. If we can�tmake a status assessment, wedon�t know if these taxa aregoing to be safe for another fewyears or need immediateintervention to save the last fewremaining populations or evenindividuals.

As it happens, thirteen of the130 non-threatened species lackany information for a meaningfulstatus assessment and thereforeare classified as Data Deficient.

There are also three specieswhich are categorised as NotEvaluated. This is because theyhave been �introduced� into thisregion from another continentaltogether. Such animals arecalled �aliens�! Another reasonfor not evaluating a species isthat there may be problems in itstaxonomy or identifyingcharacters.

South Asian Endemic speciesSixty-two species (33.5%) of the185 NVSMs are endemic to SouthAsia. India, perhaps because itis the largest country of SouthAsia, has the most- 26 endemicnon-volant small mammal speciesfollowed by Sri Lanka with 10endemics. Nepal and Pakistanhave one endemic each. Twenty-four (24) NVSM species aredistributed in more than onecountry within South Asia.

Non-endemic species of SouthAsiaSeventeen of the 123 non-endemic NVSM species (14%)were assessed as threatened(Critically Endangered, Endan-gered and Vulnerable) in SouthAsia.

Just because a species is notendemic to our country or regiondoesn�t mean we don�t look afterit and try to prevent it frombecoming extinct. It is anational disgrace for any countryto lose a species, no matter howmany other countries have it.Species (and subspecies) live incertain localities for goodreasons having to do with healthof ecosystems. Any species welose can cause our ecosystemsto suffer in some large or smallway. Sometimes a smalldifference caused by the loss ofone species, could impactseriously on several other factorsand become disastrous. Just asparents and teachers tell kids�Don�t play with fire�, ecologists,foresters and conservationbiologists tell adults, institutions,governments, etc. �Don�t playwith ecosystems!�

And that is why such exercisesas C.A.M.P.s, Global Assessmentsand other technical conservationworkshops are so important, andwhy the world�s largest and mostprestigeous conservationorganisations are involved inthese workshops.

The IUCN Red List Criteria itselfwas developed by IUCN SpeciesSurvival Commission. Readabout it in the sidebar with theExecutive Summary on pp. 4 & 5.Read about CBSG (the groupthat developed the CAMPprocess) in the sidebar on thispage.

What is the IUCNSSC

ConservationBreeding

Specialist Group

CBSG is part of IUCN - The WorldConservation Union with HQ in

Switzerland, World Conservation Unionserves as the �United Nations of

conservation�. With 975 volunteermembers, CBSG is one of the largestIUCN Specialist Groups. CBSG has

over 10 years of experience indeveloping, testing and applyingscientifically based tools for risk

assessment and decision making in thecontext of in situ and ex situ speciesmanagement. These tools, based on

small population and conservationbiology, human demography, and sociallearning, are used in CBSG�s workshop

process to produce realisticmanagement recommendations.

CBSG�s workshop process provides anobjective environ-ment, expert

knowledge, and neutral facilitation tosupport the exchange of informationacross diverse stakeholder groups in

order to reach agreement on theimportant issues facing both humans

and wildlife.

With this understanding, meaningfuland practical management

recommendations can be made. It hasbeen remarkably successful in

uncovering and integrating previouslyunpublished information vital to the

decision making process. CBSG�sinteractive and participatory approach

produces positive effects onmanagement decision-making and

generating political and social supportfor conservation by local people.

CBSG workshops provide tools fordesigning management decisions and

programs on the basis of soundscience, while allowing new information

and unexpected events to be usedconstructively to adjust currentmanagement practices. Timely

production of workshop reports hasimmediate impact on stakeholders and

decision makers.

3


Executive SummaryStatus of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals CAMP Report

IntroductionA Conservation Assessment and Management Plan (C.A.M.P.)Workshop on South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals was heldfrom 9-13 February 2004 at the Karl Kübel Training Institute inCoimbatore, India. Eighteen small mammal field biologists and sixconservationists from all over South Asia participated. In addition,the IUCN SSC Rodent, Insectivore and Lagomorph SpecialistGroups were represented with members from South Asia, UK, USA,including the Rodent Specialist Group Chair, Giovanni Amori fromItaly. The workshop was a combined C.A.M.P. and Global MammalAssessment (GMA) with a team from the Global MammalAssessment assisting with recording information.

The South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals C.A.M.P. was endorsedby the IUCN SSC Rodent Specialist Group, The IUCN SSCInsectivore Specialist Group, the IUCN SSC Lagomorph SpecialistGroup, the IUCN SSC Conservation Breeding Specialist Group, theIUCN Regional Biodiversity Programme (RBP), Asia and theReintroduction Specialist Group, South & East Asia. KnowsleySafari Park, Universities Federation for Animal Welfare, and ChesterZoo/North of England Zoological Society, UK and Columbus Zoo,USA provided funds for the workshop and this Report.

The C.A.M.P. ProcessThe C.A.M.P. Process was developed by the IUCN SSCConservation Breeding Specialist Group (CBSG). It includesassembling experts such as wildlife managers, SSC SpecialistGroup members, representatives of the academic community orprivate sector, researchers, captive managers and otherstakeholders who provide the most current information in order toa) assign species and subspecies to IUCN Categories of Threat; b)formulate broad-based management recommendations, and c)develop more comprehensive management and recovery programsin situ and/or ex situ. Extensive review is carried out byparticipants who desire to do so before the final Report is compiledand finalised.

The 2001 IUCN Red List Criteria (Version 3.1)C.A.M.P. workshops use the most recent version of the IUCN RedList Criteria and Categories and, where appropriate, the IUCN SSCGuidelines for Application of IUCN Red List Criteria at RegionalLevels, as tools in assessing the status of a group of taxa. In thelast decade IUCN has improved the method of assessing taxa byincorporating numerical values attached to the different criteria forthreat categories. The 2001 version of the Red List Criteria andCategories use a set of five criteria (population reduction;restricted distribution, continuing decline and fluctuation; restrictedpopulation and continuing decline; very small population; andprobability of extinction) to determine the threatened categories,which are Critically Endangered (CR), Endangered (EN) andVulnerable (VU). Other categories are Extinct (EX), Extinct in theWild (EW), Near Threatened (NT), Least Concern (LC), DataDeficient (DD) and Not Evaluated (NE).

The WorkshopFour South Asian countries were represented at the workshop:India, Nepal, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh with participants presentthroughout the exercise. C.A.M.P. workshops use working groupsessions alternating with review in several plenary sessions. Inthis workshop the groups were organised by family/orders: two

The IUCN SpeciesSurvival Commission(SSC)IUCN Species SurvivalCommission (SSC) is ascience-based networkof 7,000 volunteerexperts from around the world.Members include scientists,bureaucrats, wildlife vets, zoo and P.A.managers, and experts on flora andfauna which make up 100 taxon andthematic Specialist Groups. SSC's majorrole is to provide information to IUCNon biodiversity conservation, intrinsicvalue of species & role in ecosystems,etc. SSC members also providescientific advice to conservationgroups, government agencies and othermembers. The IUCN SpeciesProgramme supports activities of SSCand individual Specialist Groups, aswell as implementing global speciesconservation initiatives. It in-cludes anumber of technical units...WildlifeTrade, the Red List, and the GlobalBiodiversity Assessment Initiative.

IUCN is the name for the WorldConservation UnionInternational Union for Conservation ofNature and Natural Resources or WorldConservation Union is the world'slargest and most importantconservation network. It bringstogether 82 States, 111 governmentagencies, more than 800 NGOs, andsome 10,000 scientists and experts from181 countries.

The importance of well-function-ingecosystems in helping reduce povertyand improve livelihoods, societies andeconomies is increasingly clear toscientists. This knowledge needs beintegrated into the decisions andactions of local, national andinternational policy makers in allsectors, as well as business leaders.IUCN seeks to ensure this knowledge isused in practical ways by bringingtogether scientists, policy makers,business leaders and NGOs to impactthe way the world values and usesnature.


The 2001 IUCN Red List Criteria(Version 3.1)

The C.A.M.P. workshop processemploys the IUCN Red List Criteria as

a tool in assessing species status in agroup of taxa. The structure of the

categories includes extinct,threatened, non-threatened, data

deficient and not evaluated divisions.

In the last decade IUCN has improvedthe method of assessment of species by

incorporating numerical valuesattached to the different criteria for

threat categories. The 2001 version ofthe Red List Threatened Categories

are derived through a set of 5 criteria

A. Population reduction;B. Restricted distribution, continuing

decline and fluctuation;C. Restricted population and

continuing decline;D. Very small population;

E. probability of extinction

based on which the threatenedcategory is assigned.

The term �threatened� according tothe 2001 IUCN categories means

Critically Endangered,Endangered or Vulnerable.

The "non-threatened" categoriesare Near Threatened and

Least Concern

groups on Muridae (including all other families of rodents, andincluding lagomorphs and pholidots), Sciuridae and Insectivora.

With the added advantage of having many working field biologistsfrom the range of these taxa, there was a significant improvement indata quality compared to the exercise conducted in 1997. In thisC.A.M.P. workshop, 55 of the 185 non-volant small mammal specieswere categorized as threatened. Thirty-eight of the 62 speciesendemic to South Asia are threatened, which is over 60% of allNVSMs in the region! However, of the 123 nonendemics, only 17 arethreatened. Restricted distribution is therefore a major criteria forthreat assessments in the case of NVSMs in South Asia, barring sixspecies that were categorised as threatened due to populationdecline and four species due to being found in only a few locationsalbeit with no threats to either the population or habitat.

Species not endemic to a country were assigned national status inevery country of occurrence according to the IUCN Regional Red ListCriteria (IUCN, 2003). India having the largest land area has themost endemic NVSM species - 26, followed by Sri Lanka with 10, andNepal and Pakistan with one each. The remaining 24 species areendemic to South Asia distributed in more than one country.

A Draft Report containing Taxon Data Sheets for all 185 NVSM specieswas given to participants at the end of the workshop thanks to theC.A.M.P. Data Entry Programme and hard work by recorders. Thisreport reflects the corrections and comments that were returned onthe draft Taxon Data Sheets. The output from the workshop hasbeen submitted to the appropriate specialist group chairs and IUCNRed List committee for inclusion in 2005 IUCN Red List of ThreatenedSpecies. This is an appropriate utilisation of information from localfield biologists and primate students from South Asia, and a credit totheir work.

Four members of the Global Mammal Assessment who participated inthe working groups and in assessments. The GMA team filled in datainto the GMA database as well as mapped the distribution on thecomputer. The information on non-endemic species from the regionwill be used to assess the global status of widely distributed speciesof NVSMs by GMA.

RecommendationsA series of recommendations for research and management of SouthAsian Non-volant Small Mammals was derived from Taxon Data Sheetsfilled out by participants in the workshop. Key recommendations forresearch were taxonomic studies, surveys and life history studies;and for management included habitat management, public educationand monitoring. Special issue working groups were formed on thefollowing subjects: Research and Field Studies, Taxonomy andNetworking, and Training and education.

Short-tailed Bandicoot RatNesokia indica

5


Global status of endemic non-volant small mammals in South Asia(IUCN Red List Criteria 2001 (Ver. 3.1))

Scientific name Status Criteria

ErinaceomorphaErinaceidaeHemiechinus collaris (Gray, 1830) Least Concern -Hemiechinus micropus (Blyth, 1846) Least Concern -Hemiechinus nudiventris (Horsfield, 1851) Near Threatened -

LagomorphaLeporidaeCaprolagus hispidus (Pearson, 1839) Endangered B2ab(ii,iii,iv)Lepus nigricollis Cuvier, 1823 Least Concern -

PholidotaManidaeManis crassicaudata (Gray, 1827) Vulnerable A2c+3c+4c

RodentiaCalomyscidaeCalomyscus hotsoni Thomas, 1920 Critically Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)

MuridaeAlticola albicauda (True, 1894) Data DeficientAlticola blanfordi (Scully, 1880) Vulnerable B2ab(iii)Alticola montosa (True, 1894) Near Threatened -Alticola roylei (Gray, 1842) Endangered B2ab(iii)Apodemus gurkha Thomas, 1924 Endangered B1ab(iii)Bandicota maxima Pradhan et al., 1993 Least Concern -Cremnomys blanfordi (Thomas, 1881) Least Concern -Cremnomys cutchicus Wroughton, 1912 Least Concern -Cremnomys elvira (Ellerman, 1947) Critically Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Gerbillus gleadowi Murray, 1886 Near Threatened -Hyperacrius fertilis (True, 1894) Vulnerable B2ab(iii)Hyperacrius wynnei (Blanford, 1881) Least Concern -Millardia gleadowi (Murray, 1885) Least Concern -Millardia kondana Mishra & Dhanda, 1975 Critically Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)Millardia meltada (Gray, 1837) Least Concern -Mus famulus Bonhote, 1898 Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Mus fernandoni (Phillips, 1932) Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Mus mayori (Thomas, 1915) Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)Mus platythrix Bennet, 1832 Least Concern -Mus saxicola Elliot, 1839 Least Concern -Rattus burrus (Miller, 1902) Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Rattus montanus Phillips, 1932 Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Rattus palmarum (Zelebor, 1869) Critically Endangered B1ab(iii)Rattus ranjiniae Agrawal & Ghosh, 1969 Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Rattus stoicus (Miller, 1902) Vulnerable D2Rattus vicerex (Bonhote, 1903) Least Concern -Srilankamys ohiensis (Phillips, 1929) Vulnerable B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Vandeleuria nolthenii (Phillips, 1929) Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)

PlatacanthomyidaePlatacanthomys lasiurus Blyth, 1859 Vulnerable B2ab(ii,iii)

SciuridaeBiswamoyopterus biswasi Saha, 1981 Critically Endangered B1ab(iii); DEoglaucomys fimbriatus (Gray, 1837) Least Concern -Funambulus layardi (Blyth, 1849) Vulnerable A3c+4c; B1ab(ii,iii)Funambulus palmarum (Linnaeus, 1766) Least Concern -Funambulus sublineatus (Waterhouse, 1838) Vulnerable B2ab(ii,iii,iv)Funambulus tristriatus (Waterhouse, 1837) Near Threatened -Petaurista nobilis Gray, 1842 Endangered A2c+3c+4cPetinomys fuscocapillus (Jerdon, 1847) Near Threatened -Ratufa indica (Erxleben, 1777) Vulnerable A2c+3c+4cRatufa macroura (Pennant, 1769) Vulnerable A2c+3c+4c; D

6


SoricomorphaSoricidaeCrocidura andamanensis Miller, 1902 Critically Endangered B1ab(iii)Crocidura hispida Thomas, 1913 Vulnerable D2Crocidura jenkinsi Chakraborty, 1978 Critically Endangered B1ab(iii)Crocidura miya Phillips, 1929 Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)Crocidura nicobarica Miller, 1902 Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)Crocidura pergrisea Miller, 1913 Data Deficient -Feroculus feroculus (Kelaart, 1850) Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)Solisorex pearsonii Thomas, 1924 Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Sorex planiceps Miller, 1911 Least Concern -Suncus dayi (Dobson, 1888) Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Suncus fellowesgordoni Phillips, 1932 Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Suncus montanus (Kelaart, 1850) Endangered B2ab(ii,iii)Suncus stoliczkanus (Anderson, 1877) Least Concern -Suncus zeylanicus Phillips, 1928 Endangered B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)

ScandentiaTupaiidaeAnathana ellioti (Waterhouse, 1850) Near ThreatenedTupaia nicobarica (Zelebor, 1869) Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)

FIND SOUTH ASIAN NONENDEMICS IN TTMS www.southasiantaxa.org(Regional status derived using IUCN Versions 3.1 and 3.0) (sample and

an explanation on following page)

The Report, which runs over 600 pages, includes many useful tables and graphs as well as other useful andinteresting information, such as national and regional status for both endemic and non-endemic taxa, but much ofthis data can be found in our website listed taxa by taxa. See below for home page and an example of what youwill get if you type the word "Southasiantaxa.org". You can find the answers to questions such as whether an animalyou have heard about is threatened or non-threatened, endemic or non endemic, etc.

Refer <www.southasiantaxa.org>. (Please write to <[email protected]> or <[email protected]> if you have aproblem or question.)

Threatened Taxa Monitoring System TTMS -- www.Southasiantaxa.org

7


Regional / National assessment

The IUCN Red List guidelines were developed forspecies assessments at the global level, meaningspecies endemic to a region or a country. When itcomes to non-volant small mammals, many speciesare distributed in more than one country, andusually have very wide distributions. Also, forunderstanding the status of species at thesubglobal level, country-wise assessments becomevery important in formulating necessaryconservation and action plans. The IUCN realizedthis and developed a set of regional guidelines tohelp regions and countries derive national statusfor widely distributed non-endemic species. In theNVSM CAMP, we applied the regional guidelines tonon-endemic species, whereby after assessing thestatus of the species within the region or thecountry using global IUCN Red List guidelines(Version 3.1), the species was then assessednationally using the IUCN Regional Red Listguidelines (Version 3.0) by determining severalfactors such as the proportion of population ordistribution within the country compared to theglobal distribution. We also looked at whether thespecies faced the same kinds of threats in theneighbouring countries as it did in the country ofassessment; whether the species was distributedcontinuously across the border or if it wasfragmented; whether the species was declining inpopulation in the country like in its neighbouringareas; whether the individuals or populations ofthe species within the country were able to movefreely across the political boundaries to either

Regional status of non-endemic non-volant small mammals in South Asia derived at the C.A.M.P.workshop using 2001 IUCN Red List Criteria and Categories (Version 3.1: Global and Version 3.0:Regional) (only species which have been listed as globally threatened by IUCN are included asexamples)

The table below lists a sample of some assessments which have been done at the Global level usingglobal criteria by IUCN and at the Regional level using National and Regional Criteria by the CAMP.

Scientific name Camp Status Criteria

SAMPLE ONLY :MuridaeApodemus draco (Barrett-Hamilton, 1900) Near Threatened VU ↓NT B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)Apodemus orestes (Thomas, 1911) Near Threatened VU ↓NT D2Chiropodomys gliroides (Blyth, 1856) Near Threatened VU ↓ NT B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Dacnomys millardi Thomas, 1916 Near Threatened VU ↓ NT B2ab(iii)Diomys crumpi Thomas, 1917 Endangered B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)Ellobius fuscocapillus (Blyth, 1842) Vulnerable EN ↓ VU B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)

Eothenomys melanogaster (Milne-Edwards, 1871) Vulnerable EN ↓ VU B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)Hydromys humei (Thomas, 1886) Vulnerable EN ↓ VU B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)Leopoldamys edwardsi (Thomas, 1882) Near Threatened VU ↓ NT B2ab(ii,iii)Meriones persicus (Blanford, 1875) Near Threatened VU ↓ NT B2ab(ii,iii)Microtus juldaschi (Severtzov, 1879) Vulnerable EN ↓ VU B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)

Niviventer brahma (Thomas, 1914) Vulnerable EN ↓ VU B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)Niviventer langbianis (Robinson & Kloss, 1922) Endangered CR ↓ EN B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)Rhizomys pruinosus Blyth, 1851 Endangered B2ab(ii,iii)Rhombomys opimus (Lichtenstein, 1823) Vulnerable EN ↓ VU B2ab(iii)

establish new colonies or not; whether themigrating individuals between the populations ofthe country of assessment and the neighbouringcountries could do so without hindrance or not;whether the situation in the country of assessmentled to the continuous disappearance of thespecies, although new populations could come fromthe neighbouring areas; etc. These questions wereweighed against each non-endemic species andthe status of the species within the country ofassessment was then upgraded or downgradeddepending on the situation. In no instance was thenational status lower than the global status.

Afghan PikaOchotona rufescens


C.A.M.P. Workshops, the IUCN Red Lists and GMAWhat is the relationship ofC.A.M.P. workshop output to theIUCN Red List? And what is therelationship of the GlobalMammal Assessment GMA (or, forall taxa Global AssessmentProgramme (GAP) to bothC.A.M.P. and IUCN Red List.

First, the IUCN Red List hasreplaced the old IUCN Red DataBooks which were established inthe 1960s. The IUCN Red DataBooks used an older version ofthe IUCN Red List categorieswhich were not associated withobjective, scientific criteria as isthe case today. The IUCN RedList Criteria (Ver. 3.1) used in thisC.A.M.P. workshop, replacedseveral other versions whichwere in the development andtesting process for nearly adecade.

Although C.A.M.P. workshops andother methods conducted evenby individuals use the the IUCNRed List Criteria, there are oftenindividual differences in how wellthe criteria are understood andeven the rigour and integritywith which they are applied.Therefore, the Species SurvivalCommission of IUCN has aprocedure and protocol for suchassessments to determinewhether the assessment iscorrect. This is a process ofreview.

When a C.A.M.P. is conducted, itis ideal to have the individualwho has been designated as theIUCN Red List Authority for thetaxa under assessment. Thisindividual is often the taxonspecialist group chair. Forexample in this C.A.M.P. forNVSMs of South Asia, it was theChair of the Rodent SpecialistGroup of IUCN. The RodentSpecialist Group has beendisbanded but the Chair wasretained as the Red List FocalPoint for this taxon group. Therewere other specialists who arefamiliar with assessments aswell. In fact we had fourpersons assisting and recordingfrom SSC IUCN's newest attempt

to make the process of RedListing more meaningful, which isthe Global Species Assessmentsor GSA for all taxa and the GlobalMammal Assessment (GMA) formammals. The individualselected to organise GMAsaround the world had attendedand brought mammal expertsfrom UK and Europe.

We also had with us theConservation Breeding SpecialistGroup CBSG Technical Expert onthe Red List, Sanjay Molur.Sanjay, who was also anorganiser of this CAMP andDeputy Director of ZOO andFounder/Secretary of WILD mayhave assessed more speciesthan anyone and he is the onlyAsian member of the IUCN SSCRed List Committee. In the end,we have used Sanjay'sassessments using Regional andnational Guidelines for ourReport and not the assessmentsfrom the Global MammalAssessments. Therefore, if youfind some difference in the GlobalRed List and our assessmentsplease make sure whether theassessment is regional or not.The NVSM C.A.M.P. report hasboth global and regionalassessments while the GMA hasonly global assessments.

After all information in a CAMPhas been finalised and the lastattempt to assess the speciesdone, the category and rationale(which is the criteria used)should be submitted to the Chairfor review. The Chair mayrequest other specialists toreview the assessment. Afterbeing satisfied that theassessment and rationale iscorrect, the Chair sends it to theRed List Committee. It is againexamined and, if controversial,may be reviewed again. When itis accepted it is taken as part ofthe IUCN Red List for that year.

In the case of national orregional assessments, onlyspecies which are endemic to aparticular country or regionwould be eligible for

consideration for the Red Listwhich uses global criteria forassessment. Otherwise, non-endemic species which havebeen assessed in a country orregion, could still be submitted tothe Specialist Group Chair to beused by him or her as part of thepicture in deriving the status fora species with a wider range.

Regional assessments have theirown importance compared toglobal assessments, however,due to the following advantages:

a. Smaller area of assessmentresulting in greater accuracy*b. More participation by local fieldbiologists in the assessmentprocessc. Assessments based on morerecent field informationd. Implications for regional actionplans and management planse. Bottom-up approach toassessments, i.e. regional/national information feeding intoglobal assessments.f. Post assessment follow-upactions such as surveys,monitoring and educationg. Information is likely to be usedin regional or national Red Databooks and national biodiversitystrategiesh. Lobbying for conservationefforts with local governmentscan be done more effectivelyi. Sustained effort in gatheringfield information and networking.

* The same is true for nationalassessments, where theRegional IUCN guidelines areused.

9

Forest RatRattus satarae


Red List Case Study :

Regional/Nationalassessment CaseStudy

Petaurista magnificus (Hodgson,1836)The Hodgson�s Flying Squirreloccurs in Nepal, India, Bhutanand China making it non-endemicto the region of South Asia.However, the distribution rangewithin South Asia is restricted tothe Himalaya. According toexperts, this squirrel is restrictedin its range in South Asia to lessthan 20,000km2, with itsdistribution further restricted inIndia and Bhutan. The habitatwhere the species occurs isunder tremendous threat due tologging, encroachments, forestfires and plantations. This hasled to habitat loss andfragmentation and therebyresulted in the species beingcategorized as threatened underthe Criterion B for restricteddistribution andcontinuing decline. This has alsoresulted in extensive reduction inpopulations over the last 25years, which makes it threatenedunder Criterion A for populationreduction. The species istherefore Vulnerable in SouthAsia. Since the species is thoughtto be facing the same kinds ofthreats in the neighbouringcountry, the status was retained.The regional status of Petauristamagnificus in South Asia is,therefore, VULNERABLEA2c+3c+4c; B1ab(ii,iii).

National status:Bhutan: Endangered B1ab(ii,iii).The population within Bhutan isfacing continuing decline due toloss of habitat, which is also thecase in the neighbouringcountries. Hence the status ofEndangered, which was derivedfrom restricted distributionsretained without any change.

India: Vulnerable A2c+3c+4c;B1ab(ii,iii). The Indian populationof this species is similar to that ofBhutan, except that it is just alitlle more widely distributed thanin Bhutan. Since the situation

10

Hodgson's Flying SquirrelPetaurista magnificus

Localities from where Petaurista magnificus (Hodgson, 1836)is known in Bhutan, India and Nepal

with respect to habitat loss andpopulation decline is the same asin Bhutan, the status of thespecies is retained asVulnerable.

Nepal: Data Deficient. The Nepalpopulation of this species is notvery well defined as it is thoughtby taxonomists to be a differentspecies. Hence the assessmentfor Nepal is Data Deficient.


IUCN Red List Criteria Rationale : What do those little letters and numbers mean ?

After every assessment of Critically Endangered CR, Endangered, EN, and VulnerableVU, there is a list - often quite a long list - of letters and numbers that defy explanation,such as Critically Endangered CR [B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)] after Cremnomys elvira. Actuallythey are very well explained in the last pages of this document in the IUCN Red Listcriteria expansion and rationale, but for many busy people, they will not have time orpatience to look up every one. Therefore, to give an idea of what those "little lettersand numer mean" we have included a batch of rats and mice which have been assessedas threatened. In order to be acceptable for a threatened category in the IUCN RedList the species assessed has to be submitted with the full rationale which tells whyand on what basis. Below is the list of threatened endemics of NVSMs of South Asia.

few and fragmented locations, withmajor threats affecting habitat areaand quality.

Cremnomys elvira (Ellerman,1947)CRITICALLY ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, singlelocation with major threats affectinghabitat area and quality.

Crocidura andamanensis Miller,1902CRITICALLY ENDANGERED[B1ab(iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, singlelocation with major threats affectinghabitat area and quality.

Crocidura hispida Thomas, 1913VULNERABLE [D2]Restricted in area of occupancy (<100 sq km) and occurs in only onelocation.

Crocidura jenkinsi Chakraborty,1978CRITICALLY ENDANGERED[B1ab(iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, singlelocation with major threats affectinghabitat area and quality.

Crocidura miya Phillips, 1929ENDANGERED [B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Crocidura nicobarica Miller, 1902ENDANGERED [B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Feroculus feroculus (Kelaart,1850)ENDANGERED [B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Funambulus layardi (Blyth,1849)VULNERABLE [A3c+4c; B1ab(ii,iii)]Continuing decline in population dueto major threats prediced over thenext three generations. Restricted inextent of occurrence, many butfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality

Funambulus sublineatus(Waterhouse, 1838)VULNERABLE [B2ab(ii,iii,iv)]Restricted in area of occupancy,many but fragmented locations, withmajor threats affecting habitat area,quality and populations.

Hyperacrius fertilis (True, 1894)VULNERABLE [B2ab(iii)]This species is widely distributedthroughout its range and is welladapted to changing environments.

Manis crassicaudata (Gray,1827)VULNERABLE [A2c+3c+4c]In the South Asian region, there is acontinuing decline in population dueto major threats over the last threegenerations. Predicted decline at thesame rate over the next threegenerations.

Millardia kondana Mishra andDhanda, 1975CRITICALLY ENDANGERED[B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, singlelocation with major threats affectinghabitat area and quality.

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Alticola blanfordi (Scully, 1880)VULNERABLE [B2ab(iii)]Restricted in area of occupancy, fewand fragmented locations, withmajor threats affecting habitat areaand quality.

Alticola roylei (Gray, 1842)ENDANGERED [B2ab(iii)]Restricted in area of occupancy, fewand fragmented locations, withmajor threats affecting habitat areaand quality.

Apodemus gurkha Thomas, 1924ENDANGERED [B1ab(iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrence,few and fragmented locations, withmajor threats affecting habitat areaand quality.

Biswamoyopterus biswasi Saha,1981CRITICALLY ENDANGERED[B1ab(iii);D]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality. Number of matureindividuals highly restricted.

Calomyscus hotsoni Thomas,1920CRITICALLY ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)]This species isknown only fromthe type locality.

Caprolagushispidus(Pearson,1839)ENDANGERED[B2ab(ii,iii,iv)]Restrictedin area ofoccupancy,

Cape HareLepus capensis


Mus famulus Bonhote, 1898ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Mus fernandoni (Phillips, 1932)ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Mus mayori (Thomas, 1915)ENDANGERED [B1ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrence,few and fragmented locations, withmajor threats affecting habitat areaand quality.

Petaurista nobilis Gray, 1842ENDANGERED [A2c+3c+4c]Continuing decline in population dueto major threats over the last threegenerations. Predicted decline at thesame rate over the next threegenerations.

Petinomys fuscocapillus(Jerdon, 1847)NEAR THREATENEDWidely distributed species withmajor threats affecting its habitatand/or population, although notenough to be categorised asVulnerable.

Platacanthomys lasiurus Blyth,1859VULNERABLE [B2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in area of occupancy, fewand fragmented locations, withmajor threats affecting habitat areaand quality.

Rattus burrus (Miller, 1902)ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Rattus montanus Phillips, 1932ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

12

Forest RatRattus rattus wroughtoni

Rattus palmarum (Zelebor,1869)CRITICALLY ENDANGERED[B1ab(iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, singlelocation with major threats affectinghabitat area and quality.

Rattus ranjiniae Agrawal andGhosh, 1969ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Rattus stoicus (Miller, 1902)VULNERABLE [D2]Restricted to 5 or less than 5locations.

Ratufa indica (Erxleben, 1777)VULNERABLE [A2c+3c+4c]Continuing decline in population dueto major threats over the last threegenerations. Predicted decline at thesame rate over the next threegenerations.

Ratufa macroura (Pennant,1769)VULNERABLE [A2c+3c+4c; D]Continuing decline in population dueto major threats over the last threegenerations. Predicted decline at thesame rate over the next threegenera-tions. Number of matureindividuals very low.

Solisorex pearsonii Thomas,1924ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Srilankamys ohiensis (Phillips,1929)VULNERABLE [B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Suncus dayi (Dobson, 1888)ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with major

threats affecting habitat area andquality.

Suncus fellowesgordoni Phillips,1932ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Suncus montanus (Kelaart,1850)ENDANGERED [B2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Suncus zeylanicus Phillips, 1928ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.

Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor,1869)ENDANGERED [B1ab(iii)+2ab(iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat quality.

Vandeleuria nolthenii (Phillips,1929)ENDANGERED[B1ab(ii,iii)+2ab(ii,iii)]Restricted in extent of occurrenceand area of occupancy, few andfragmented locations, with majorthreats affecting habitat area andquality.


ThreatsNo NVSM with restricted distribution is beyond threat. All CriticallyEndangered, Endangered and Vulnerable species are under severepressure due to a variety of threats impacting them, while the non-threatened taxa still face threats of some kind. The Table belowgives an idea of the threats of Non-volant Small Mammals and alsothe number of taxa which are known to be affected by specificthreats.

Habitat loss due to such reasons as logging, agriculture,development, habitation, industry, commerce and fragmentation hasresulted in many taxa being threatened, some as seriously as beingassessed as Critically Endangered or Endangered. Approximately74% of the threats are habitat-related and the remaining arepopulation-related. NVSMs are under tremendous pressure becauseof continuing decline in habitat, which is obvious in almost all regions.Northeastern India and Bangladesh face a continuing crisis with lossof habitat due to such factors as illegal encroachments, clear-fellingfor human settlements, logging for firewood and mining. This hasresulted in many forested areas becoming fragmented andinhospitable for some arboreal and specialized NVSMs.

In various cases, the degree of threat to the habitat is reflected invery small population numbers in restricted areas of specializedrodents such as giant squirrels and gliding squirrels. Squirrels andtree shrews are inherently shy and require a fair component ofhealthy habitat including canopy trees and food trees for maintaininga viable group size, and for dispersal. Lack of continuous forests inthe northeast and many parts of central and southern India and SriLanka has affected the population dynamics, which is now a majorthreat. Habitat loss in the past has resulted in reduced numbers ofsquirrels currently. The Western Ghats has lost nearly half its forestsin the last 60 years, forests that used to be home for giant andgliding squirrels.

Loss of habitat quality is another major threat identified for almost allNVSM taxa, although the effects of change in quality is not reflectedin threat perception of a taxon. Man-made fires, collection of non-timber forest produce, eco-tourism, human settlements in and aroundforests, poor management practices and other activities can causechanges to the quality of habitat, which in turn has a negative effecton many specialized NVSM species.

Population declines are of concern with respect to giant squirrels inIndia. Due to loss of habitat over many years in the past, populationtrends were assessed based on correlations with habitat trends.Although no statistical interpretation was carried out to correlate thetwo, an understanding of the extent of habitat available in the pastto that in the present gives an indication of the population trends.

Sundeval�s JirdMeriones crassus

Threatsand number of taxa affected

Habitat loss 94Habitat fragmentation 2Agri practices � pesticides 18Pest control activities 2Hunting 39Natural predators 29Domestic predators 14Forest fire 34Small-scale logging 43Alien species 15Natural calamities 25Plantation 17Restricted range 20Exp. human settlements 26Clear-cutting of forests 13Illegal timber extraction 30Expansion of agriculture 16Construction of dams 9Road kills 3Pets/pet trade 2Research 3Civil unrest/war 9Fuelwood collection 8Livestock grazing 12Shifting/Jhum cultivation 17Infrastructure development 11Military base/army est 3Anthropogenic activities 18Effect of canal networks 3

VoleMicrotus sp.

13


Threats to rats and mice, taxa by taxa ... just a few examples

Because of the unfortunate imageand reputation of rats and mice, ascommon representatives of thesmall, brown, furry creatures thatpeople think of as pests, there isvery little concern for them andthe threats which may wipe out awhole species or importantpopulation. As many of these taxaare confined to small niches andfew populations, they can -- incertain situations -- becomeextinct practically before beforethey are fully known. One'spractical experience with small,brown, furry creaturesnotwithstanding, a species is aspecies, unique and potentially oractually of inestimable value.

14

RodentiaDipodidaeJaculus blanfordi -- In Syria, thisspecies is used in falconery, it isassumed that the same mightbe its fate in Pakistan

GliridaeDryomys nitedula -- Habitat loss anddegradation due tosmall-scale logging ofjuniper, natural predatorsand disease due to pathogensand parasites

HystricidaeAtherurus macrourus -- Habitat lossdue to jhum/shifting agriculture,small-scale logging, subsistence useharvest for food and accidentalmortality due to collections

Hystrix brachyura -- Habitat lossdue to construction of dams, powerlines, and other infra-structuredevelopment; harvested for medi-cinal purposes, accidental mortalityfrom trapping, snaring, nettingshooting

Hystrix indica -- Habitat loss due toconstruction of dams, livestockgrazing, harvested for localconsumption and medicinal pur-poses and accidental mortality dueto trapping, snaring, netting,shooting, poisoning, pest controlpractices, human induced distur-bances, road kills and poaching

MuridaeAlticola argentatus -- High altitudelivestock grazing

Alticola blanfordi -- High altitudelivestock grazing

Alticola montosa -- Anthropogenicactivities and military disturbance

Alticola roylei -- Habitat loss due tolivestock grazing, humansettlements, and natural disasterslike avalanche and landslides

Alticola stoliczkanus -- Habitat lossdue to infrastructure (road)development and increase in humansettlements

Apodemus draco -- Jhum/shiftingagriculture

Apodemus gurkha -- Agriculture andharvesting by locals for consumption

Apodemus sylvaticus -- Habitatunder anthropogenic pressures

Bandicota bengalensis -- Pestcontrol activities

Bandicota indica -- Pest controlactivities and change in land usepattern

Bandicota maxima -- Pest controlactivities

Cannomys badius-- Habitat loss due tojhumcultivation,forest fire and harvesting forsubsistence use

Chiropodomys gliroides -- Habitatloss due to jhum cultivation, small-scale logging, forest fire, clearing ofbamboo patches, expansion ofhuman settlements and constructionof dams

Cremnomys cutchicus -- Expansionof agriculture

Cremnomys elvira -- Habitat lossconversion of forests to agriculturelands and plantations and fuel-woodcollection

Cricetulus alticola -- Habitat loss dueto expansion of human settlementsand army camps

Cricetulus migratorius -- Habitat lossdue to small-scale logging anddefence establishments

Diomys crumpi -- Shiftingagriculture, however, not enoughinformation exists to predict theeffect of threats on this taxon

Ellobiusfuscocapillus --Naturalcalamities suchas drought,

wildfires,avalanches and land-slides

Eothenomys melanogaster --Habitat loss and degradation due toexpansion of agriculture, small-scalelogging and human settlements

Gerbillus gleadowi -- Habitat lossand degradation due to small-holderfarming, livestock grazing;presence of alien species andpredators; pollution due toexcessive use of pesticides anddisturbance due to human activitiesand transport. The major threat forthe habitat is the construction of theIndira Gandhi Canal.

Gerbillus nanus -- Habitatloss and degradation due tolivestock grazing,mismanagement of non-farm lands, small scalelogging and harvestingof this specis for localconsumption. The majorthreat for the habitat isthe construction of theIndira Gandhi Canal.

Golunda ellioti -- Habitat loss anddegradation due to mining, stonequarrying, infrastructuredevelopment, invasion of alien plantspecies thereby directly impactingthe habitat, pest control practices,natural disasters in the form offloods, storms, fire and impropermanagement of grasslands.Harvested for local consumption

Hyperacrius wynnei -- Habitat lossand degradation due to agro-industries, expansion of farming,apple orchards, potato crops,increase in human settlements andexpansion of agricultural lands

Leopoldamys edwardsi -- Habitatloss and degradation due to small-scale logging, non-farm landmanagement and harvest for localconsumption

Leopoldamys sabanus -- Habitat lossand degradation due to shiftingagriculture and small-scale logging

Merionescrassus --Naturaldisasters,drought,

Summary of the Status of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals, 2006 15

species, harvest for localconsumption, natural disasters likestorms and flood

Mus fernandoni -- Increased use ofpesticides in agriculture, humandisturbance and presence ofdomestic predators

Mus mayori -- Deforestation due toexpansion of farm lands, humanencroachments andpresence of domestic predators

Mus musculus -- Habitat loss anddegradation due to

infrastructuredevelopment,

accidentalmortality due to

poisoning, pestcontrol activities, excessive use ofpesti-cides, habitat alteration,natural disasters in the form ofdrought, fire and interspecificcompetition

Mus platythrix -- Habitat loss ordegradation due to expansion ofagriculture, human encroachments,pest control practices, agriculturalpollution and natural calamities likefire

Nesokia indica -- Habitat loss anddegradation due to irrigation canalsleading to change in native species

Niviventer brahma -- Habitat lossand degradation due to naturaldisasters in the form of avalanchesand landslides, shifting agriculture,presence and competition with alienspecies and harvesting forsubsistence

Niviventer eha -- Hunting forsubsistence

Platacanthomys lasiurusHabitat loss and degradation due toexpansion of coffee and tea plan-tations, agro-industry based farmingactivities,mortality due to pest con-trol practices as it is considered as apest of cardamom, pepper andjackfruit plantation and forest fires

Rattus montanus -- Habitat loss anddegradation due to expansion ofagriculture and clear-cutting offorests

Rattus nitidus -- Habitat loss anddegradation due to shifting agri-culture, small-scale logging,natural disasters and hunting forlocal consumption

Rattus norvegicus -- Pest controlpractices and presence of predators

Rattus palmarum -- Competitionfrom alien species

Rattus ranjiniae -- Habitat loss andnatural disasters

Rattus rattus -- Pest controlpractices, natural calamities likefire, rise of temperature,pathogens orparasites affecting theindividuals, used inresearch for humandiseaseinvestigations andhunted for localconsumption

Rattus stoicus -- Competition fromalien species

Rhizomys pruinosus -- Habitat lossand degradation due to shiftingcultivation, bamboo extraction andaccidental mortality due to huntingfor local consumption

Srilankamys ohiensis -- Habitat lossand degradation due to expansion ofagriculture, clear-cutting, naturaldisasters like forest fire in HortonPlains, under growth clearing (inKnuckles Range), predation bydomestic carnivores

Tatera indica -- Habitat loss anddegradation due to expansion ofagricultural activities, agro-industrybased farming activities, expansionof human settlements, stonequarrying, invasion of exotic plantspecies, hunting for local consump-tion purposes, accidental mortality

due to poisoning for hunting,pest control practices,

natural calamities likedrought and presence

of predators

Vandeleuria noltheniiHabitat loss and degradation due toexpansion of agricultural activitiesand clear-cutting of the forest

Vandeleuria oleraceaHabitat loss and degradation due toexpansion of agriculture, humanencroachment, grazing by livestock,illicit wood cutting, increase of urbanareas, mining, stone quarrying,small-scale logging, lopping,accidental mortality due todrowning, poisoning, hunting forlocal consumption, presenceof wild and domestic predators

human disturbance in the form ofcivil unrest,war.

Meriones hurrianae -- Habitat loss ordegradation due to expansion ofagriculture, small-scale logging,invasion of alien plant speciesdirectly impacting the habitat,collection of fuelwood, pest controlpractices, natural disasters likedrought, floods, drowning and otheredaphic changes and competitors inthe form of other species

Meriones lybicus --Habitat loss due todrought

Meriones persicus-- Natural disastersin the form of drought

Micromys minutus -- Habitat lossand degradation due to small-scalelogging and expansion ofagriculture

Microtus juldaschi -- Habitat loss anddegradation due to natural disastersin the form of avalanches andlandslides

Microtus sikimensis -- Habitat lossand degradation due to small-scalelogging, invasive alien species(direclty impacting the habitat), andto some extent domestic dogs andcats pose threat to this species. Thisspecies ventures very less out inthe open and is mostly foundfrequenting tunnels

Millardia meltada -- Habitat loss anddegradation due to infra-structuredevelopment, invasive alien species,exotic plants, harvest for localconsumption, accidental mortality bypoison, pest control practices, pesti-cides used in agriculture, drowning,domestic and wild predators, andalso due to pathogens/parasites

Mus booduga --Habitat loss anddegradation due toexpansion ofagricultural activities,livestock grazing, non-farm activities, acci-dental mortality due topoison-ing, pest controlpractices, natural dis-asters such as,drought, storms, flood,habitat change,persecution by domesticpredators and harvest forlocal consumption purposes

Mus cervicolor -- Habitat loss ordegradation due to invasive alien


A Document of Interest commissioned by Ministry of Environment and ForestsF.No. 2-2/2003(PE) Ministry of Environment & Forests, Project Elephant

Subject: Amendment in the Schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 with regard to Spiders, Batsand Rats & Mice.During the Wildlife Workshop at Chennai on 30th June-1st July 2003, many participants had talked about the lack oflegal protection to a large number of endangered yet non-charismatic species under the Wildlife (Protection) Act,1972 (WPA-1972). In particular, some suggestions regarding the representation of spiders, bats and rodents in theschedules of WPA-1972 were received from the Zoo Outreach Organisation. As desired by the Addl. DGF(WL),I have analysed these proposals and my comments are as follows:

General comments:I. In the WPA-1972, as amended in 2002, wild animals now include only the species listed in Schedules I to IV.Therefore, the species included in Schedule V (Vermins) and those excluded from the schedules are no longer �wildanimals�. This has led to some anomalies. For example:(a) The Import-Export Policy of Government of India accepts the same definition of wild animals as that given in theWPA-1972. Therefore, although the general tenet of the Policy is to discourage wildlife trade, yet in practiceSchedule V animals and non-scheduled animals are available freely for export.(b) The Schedules of the WPA-1972 are not exhaustive and a large number of species, many of them endangered,are not covered by the schedules (Ref. A Critical Review of the Schedules of the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972 �by S.S. Bist, Indian Forester, October, 1999).(c) A large number of non-scheduled species are economically important and prone to bio-piracy.(d) With the change in the definition of wild animals in the WPA-1972, non-scheduled animals and Schedule Vanimals no longer enjoy the protection of Section 12 (i.e. hunting for the purpose of education, research and scientificmanagement).II. In view of the position explained above, it is essential that all the species which are endangered or have someeconomic potential, should be brought under any of the Schedules from I to IV.

Specific comments: Note from Editors : Spiders and bats listing (A) and (B) have been removed from this version of thedocument in the interests of saving space in this booklet; only NVSMs listing has been retained.

(C) Rats and Mice (Muridae)

I. 70 species of rats and mice (family Muridae) have been recorded in India. All of them have been categorisedas Vermins (Schedule V). Many experts have questioned this categorisation on the grounds that only a few species

of mice and rats are actually known to be pests while many species are either endemic or sparsely distributed.

II. All India Coordinated Research Project on Rodent Control set up by the ICAR has recorded the followingspecies of rats and mice as major pests of agricultural and horticultural crops (Ref. Jain, Tripathi and Rana, 1993):

1. Bandicota bengalensis (Lesser Bandicoot Rat)2. Bandicota indica (Larger Bandicoot Rat)3. Rattus rattus (House Rat)4. Rattus norvegicus (Brown or Norway Rat)5. Rattus nitidus (Himalayan Rat)6. Rattus meltada (Syn. Millardia meltada) (Soft-furred Field Rat)7. Meriones hurrianae (Desert Gerbil)8. Mus booduga (Indian Field Mouse)

16


9. Mus platythrix (Spiny Field Mouse)10. Mus musculus (House Mouse)11. Tatera indica (Indian Gerbil)12. Niviventer niviventer (Syn. Rattus niviventer)(White bellied Rat)13. Vandeleuria oleracea (Palm Mouse)

III. Researchers of Dr. Y.S. Parmar University (1999) and V.R. Parshad (1999) have listed the following additionalspecies as pests:14. Golunda ellioti (Indian Bush Rat)15. Gerbillus gleadowi (Indian Hairy-footed Gerbil)16. Rattus rattus brunneusculus (Sikkim Rat)17. Rattus rattus wroughtoni (Wroughton�s Rat)18. Nesokia indica (Short-tailed Mole Rat)

V. The following proposal is being made for providing suitable representation to rats and mice in the schedules ofthe WPA-1972:

(a) Existing entries relating to rats and mice should be substituted with the 18 species as listed above.(b) The family Muridae (except the species listed in Schedule V) should be added to Schedule IV.

Proposals in a nutshell

In a nutshell, it is proposed that:

(a) All Mygalomorph spiders (Suborder Orthognatha) should be included in Schedule IV.(b) One species of bat (viz. Murina grisea) should be included in Schedule I (Part I) while 26 species of batsknown to be endangered / vulnerable should be included in Schedule II (Part II). All the remaining species of batsshould be included in Schedule IV. The existing entry regarding fruit bats should be deleted from Schedule V.(c) The existing entries regarding rats and mice in Schedule V should be deleted and replaced with 18 specieswidely recognised as pests. The family Muridae (except the species listed in Schedule V) should be added toSchedule IV.

Under Section 61(1) of the WPA-1972, the Central Government is competent to amend the Schedules by a notification.A draft notification will be prepared after the approval of the Hon�ble MEF to the aforesaid proposals.

Submitted for favour of consideration.

(S.S. Bist) IGF & Director (PE)14.8.2003Addl. DGF (WL) &Director, Wildlife Preservation

Editors' Note : Despite this government assessment andrecommendation from within the Ministry itself, so far, none of theproposed steps have been taken despite its obvious merit.

17


Educating people about rodentsis not so easy, particularly inIndia where there is not so muchof a culture of the comic mouseand sneaky rat to use forcapturing kids imaginations.The rat which accompanies LordGanesha could be called in Hinducultures as a dignified example ofa rodent.

Generally the things that need tobe communicated about rodentsare very different for differentaudiences...

to the Ministry of Environment,Government of India and theState Forest Departments weneed to say �

�pay more attention to theseanimals !� Why? because :

� (rats, mice, and shrews) makeup 32.7% percent of the mammaldiversity of India and 38% ofSouth Asia

� they are the largest group ofmammals in the world

� they do far more good thanharm for mankind as part offorest ecosystems, serving asprey for some medium and smallcarnivores of mammals, birds andreptiles; they disperse seeds forbetter growth of forests; theyconsume vegetation bywaterways which otherwisewould clog the small streams

� they should be taken off the�Vermin� (Schedule V) categoryof the Widlife Protection Actbecause some of them arethreatened with extinction

� only about 12 out of 171species are potential or actualpests to agriculture.

� 51 rodents and insectivoreswere categorised as threatenedaccording to IUCN Red ListCriteria, Global, Regional andNational Guidelines.

Public Education for rodents and insectivores

to adults and particularlyfarmers we need to say

� be careful with rodent poisonsso that you don�t poisoninnocent animals (non-pestrodent species, amphibians,reptiles, other small mammals)

� at the same time be carefulthat you do not permit rodents inyour home and particularlywhere foodstuffs are stored orprepared as some rodents couldcarry disease.

� while it is not correct to teachyour kids to fear all animals,some rats in particular could becarriers of disease or also apt tobite, so do teach them not topick up or try to catch the smallbrown furry things that they see.

to kids we need to teachrespect and kindness to all life,but at the same time to stay outof harms way !

� to understand that someanimals should not be handled,

� to understand that someanimals have to be discouragedfrom coming into the home,

� to understand that there is abig difference in protecting one�sself and family and in beingdeliberately cruel to animals andmaking them suffer a painfuldeath unnecessarily, also tomaintain their room and livingarea to be clean and clean upafter eating so that rodentswon�t find any reason to stay inthe house,

� to enjoy the diversity ofrodents and insectivores, whichare interesting to study and domore good than harm

� to know that even such asmall, seemingly insignificantanimal has its role in theecosystem and that some ofthem are in danger of becomingextinct.

Different levels of Educationalmaterial

Newsletter for rodent biologists

Booklet for children

Summary booklet forlaypersons, like yourself !

Compiled by Sally Walker and Sanjay Molur with Illustrations by Arnab Roy from the Status of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals: Conservation

Assessment and Management Plan (C.A.M.P.) Workshop Report 2005

Little Indian field MouseMus booduga

Summary of the Status of South AsianNon-volant Small Mammals

Rodents, Insectivores, Scandents, Lagomorphs, Pholidotes

2006

Summary of the Status of South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals, 2006 19

Multi-level EducationProgrammeTaking into consideration thedifferent groups that neededucating and the wide variety offacts and attitudes that need tobe communicated, ZOO with thehelp of talented individuals fromits networks developed a rangeof educational materials, some ofwhich are illustrated in thesepages. We make educationalpackets and guidelines for uswhich are free to educators,academics, NGOs and zoos to usein organizing specific programmesfor teaching youngsters aboutrodents. In this way we act aseducator-trainer so that teachingtechniques can be communicatedto individuals working with thepublic.

Every scientist a teacherAlso many of the scientists �taxonomists, field biologists, etc� who are part of rodent�community� or network we haveorganized, have indicated theirinterest in public educationsuccessfully conductedprogrammes for kids. Kidsreally enjoy programmes run by�real� scientists, who can showdead specimens in jars or asdried specimens and tell themtheir adventures in the field. Infact, there is so much awarenessnow that conservation can onlybe achieved if there is grassroots support, some foundationsand other institutions offeringresearch grants require includean education component. Theimportance of incorporatingecosystem-based relationships,is well-known. The links in thefood chain between species ofplants and animals, such as theimportant small mammals(rodents and insectivores, forexample) as prey to largemammals, can be effective inattracting positive attention fromthe public while communicating apositive lesson.

Zoological Gardens and NaturalHistory MuseumsZoos and Natural HistoryMuseums which don�t displayrodents and insectivores miss avaluable opportunity to teachabout the food chain, ecology,

conservation and simple biology.Rodents and insectivores areinexpensive and easy to displaydue to their small size. Exhibits(can be designed like terrariums)need to be small, with a glassfront and �furnished� withappropriate small plants, piecesof branches, rocks, fallen leaves,etc. so that their enclosure lookslike their habitat. Their foodshould be placed in the front ofthe exhibit so that the public cansee them eat. The public shouldbe prevented from tapping onthe glass ! Kids really enjoysuch exhibits when properlydone. If an an animal cannot beseen in the exhibit from time totime, it would be helpful to put avery large picture of it over theexhibit as in the illustrationbelow.

Individuals and institutionsinterested in educationalmaterial for teaching aboutrodents and insectivores cancontact ZOO at any of theseemails :[email protected]@[email protected].

Some studentsfrom Mysore City,Karnataka,participating in aprogramme onrodents whichincluded role-playing with masks.The Programmewas conducted bythe RegionalMuseum of NaturalHistory.


CRITICALLY ENDANGERED (CR)A taxon is Critically Endangered when thebest available evidence indicates that itmeets any of the following criteria (A to E),and it is therefore considered to be facingan extremely high risk of extinction in thewild:

A. Reduction in population size based on any ofthe following:1. An observed, estimated, inferred orsuspected population size reduction of > or=90% over the last 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer,where the causes of the reduction areclearly reversible AND understood ANDceased, based on (and specifying) any ofthe following:(a) direct observation(b) an index of abundance appropriate tothe taxon(c) a decline in area of occupancy, extentof occurrence and/or quality of habitat(d) actual or potential levels of exploitation(e) the effects of introduced taxa,hybridization, pathogens, pollutants,competitors or parasites.

2. An observed, estimated, inferred orsuspected population size reduction of > or= 80% over the last 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer,where the reduction or its causes may nothave ceased OR may not be understoodOR may not be reversible, based on (andspecifying) any of (a) to (e) under A1.

3. A population size reduction of > or=80%, projected or suspected to be metwithin the next 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer (up toa maximum of 100 years), based on (andspecifying) any of (b) to (e) under A1.

4. An observed, estimated, inferred,projected or suspected population sizereduction of > or = 80% over any 10 yearor three generation period, whichever islonger (up to a maximum of 100 years inthe future), where the time period mustinclude both the past and the future, andwhere the reduction or its causes may nothave ceased OR may not be understoodOR may not be reversible, based on (andspecifying) any of (a) to (e) under A1.

B. Geographic range in the form of eitherB1 (extent of occurrence) OR B2 (area ofoccupancy) OR both:

1. Extent of occurrence estimated to beless than 100 km2, and estimates indicatingat least two of a�c:a. Severely fragmented or known to existat only a single location.b. Continuing decline, observed, inferred orprojected, in any of the following:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy

(iii) area, extent and/or quality of habitat(iv) number of locations or subpopulations(v) number of mature individuals.c. Extreme fluctuations in any of thefollowing:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) number of locations or subpopulations(iv) number of mature individuals.

2. Area of occupancy estimated to be lessthan 10 km2, and estimates indicating atleast two of a�c:a. Severely fragmented or known to existat only a single location.b. Continuing decline, observed, inferred orprojected, in any of the following:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) area, extent and/or quality of habitat(iv) number of locations or subpopulations(v) number of mature individuals.c. Extreme fluctuations in any of thefollowing:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) number of locations or subpopulations(iv) number of mature individuals.

C. Population size estimated to numberfewer than 250 mature individuals andeither:1. An estimated continuing decline of atleast 25% within three years or onegeneration, whichever is longer, (up to amaximum of 100 years in the future) OR2. A continuing decline, observed,projected, or inferred, in numbers ofmature individuals AND at least one of thefollowing (a�b):a. Population structure in the form of one ofthe following:(i) no subpopulation estimated to containmore than 50 mature individuals, OR(ii) at least 90% of mature individuals in onesubpopulation.b. Extreme fluctuations in number of matureindividuals.

D. Population size estimated to numberfewer than 50 mature individuals.

E. Quantitative analysis showing theprobability of extinction in the wild is atleast 50% within 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer (up toa maximum of 100 years).

ENDANGERED (EN)A taxon is Endangered when the bestavailable evidence indicates that it meetsany of the following criteria (A to E), and itis therefore considered to be facing a veryhigh risk of extinction in the wild:

A. Reduction in population size based onany of the following:

1. An observed, estimated, inferred or

suspected population size reduction of > or= 70% over the last 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer,where the causes of the reduction areclearly reversible AND understood ANDceased, based on (and specifying) any ofthe following:(a) direct observation(b) an index of abundance appropriate tothe taxon(c) a decline in area of occupancy, extentof occurrence and/or quality of habitat(d) actual or potential levels of exploitation(e) the effects of introduced taxa,hybridization, pathogens, pollutants,competitors or parasites.

2. An observed, estimated, inferred orsuspected population size reduction of > or= 50% over the last 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer,where the reduction or its causes may nothave ceased OR may not be understoodOR may not be reversible, based on (andspecifying) any of (a) to (e) under A1.3. A population size reduction of > or =50%, projected or suspected to be metwithin the next 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer (up toa maximum of 100 years), based on (andspecifying) any of (b) to (e) under A1.


B. Geographic range in the form of eitherB1 (extent of occurrence) OR B2 (area ofoccupancy) OR both:1. Extent of occurrence estimated to beless than 5000 km2, and estimatesindicating at least two of a�c:a. Severely fragmented or known to existat no more than five locations.b. Continuing decline, observed, inferred orprojected, in any of the following:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) area, extent and/or quality of habitat(iv) number of locations or subpopulations(v) number of mature individuals.c. Extreme fluctuations in any of thefollowing:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) number of locations or subpopulations(iv) number of mature individuals.

The IUCN Red List CRITERIA

Continued on back inside cover page..

20


2. Area of occupancy estimated to be lessthan 500 km2, and estimates indicating atleast two of a�c:a. Severely fragmented or known to existat no more than five locations.b. Continuing decline, observed, inferred orprojected, in any of the following:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) area, extent and/or quality of habitat(iv) number of locations or subpopulations(v) number of mature individuals.c. Extreme fluctuations in any of thefollowing:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) number of locations or subpopulations(iv) number of mature individuals.

C. Population size estimated to numberfewer than 2500 mature individuals andeither:1. An estimated continuing decline of atleast 20% within five years or twogenerations, whichever is longer, (up to amaximum of 100 years in the future) OR2. A continuing decline, observed,projected, or inferred, in numbers ofmature individuals AND at least one of thefollowing (a�b):a. Population structure in the form of one ofthe following:(i) no subpopulation estimated to containmore than 250 mature individuals, OR(ii) at least 95% of mature individuals in onesubpopulation.b. Extreme fluctuations in number of matureindividuals.

D. Population size estimated to numberfewer than 250 mature individuals.E. Quantitative analysis showing theprobability of extinction in the wild is atleast 20% within 20 years or fivegenerations, whichever is the longer (up toa maximum of 100 years).

VULNERABLE (VU)A taxon is Vulnerable when the bestavailable evidence indicates that it meetsany of the following criteria (A to E), and itis therefore considered to be facing a highrisk of extinction in the wild:

A. Reduction in population size based on any ofthe following:1. An observed, estimated, inferred orsuspected population size reduction of > or= 50% over the last 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer,where the causes of the reduction are:clearly reversible AND understood ANDceased, based on (and specifying) any ofthe following:(a) direct observation(b) an index of abundance appropriate tothe taxon(c) a decline in area of occupancy, extentof occurrence and/or quality of habitat(d) actual or potential levels of exploitation

(e) the effects of introduced taxa,hybridization, pathogens, pollutants,competitors or parasites.

2. An observed, estimated, inferred orsuspected population size reduction of > or= 30% over the last 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer,where the reduction or its causes may nothave ceased OR may not be understoodOR may not be reversible, based on (andspecifying) any of (a) to (e) under A1.

3. A population size reduction of > or =30%, projected or suspected to be metwithin the next 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is the longer (up toa maximum of 100 years), based on (andspecifying) any of (b) to (e) under A1.


B. Geographic range in the form of eitherB1 (extent of occurrence) OR B2 (area ofoccupancy) OR both:1. Extent of occurrence estimated to beless than 20,000 km2, and estimatesindicating at least two of a�c:a. Severely fragmented or known to existat no more than 10 locations. b. Continuingdecline, observed, inferred or projected, inany of the following:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) area, extent and/or quality of habitat(iv) number of locations or subpopulations(v) number of mature individuals.c. Extreme fluctuations in any of thefollowing:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) number of locations or subpopulations(iv) number of mature individuals.

2. Area of occupancy estimated to be lessthan 2000 km2, and estimates indicating atleast two of a�c:a. Severely fragmented or known to existat no more than 10 locations.b. Continuing decline, observed, inferred orprojected, in any of the following:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) area, extent and/or quality of habitat(iv) number of locations or subpopulations(v) number of mature individuals.c. Extreme fluctuations in any of thefollowing:(i) extent of occurrence(ii) area of occupancy(iii) number of locations or subpopulations(iv) number of mature individuals.

C. Population size estimated to numberfewer than 10,000 mature individuals andeither:1. An estimated continuing decline of atleast 10% within 10 years or threegenerations, whichever is longer, (up to amaximum of 100 years in the future) OR2. A continuing decline, observed,projected, or inferred, in numbers ofmature individuals AND at least one of thefollowing (a�b): a. Population structure inthe form of one of the following:(i) no subpopulation estimated to containmore than 1000 mature individuals, OR(ii) all mature individuals are in onesubpopulation.b. Extreme fluctuations in number of matureindividuals.

D. Population very small or restricted in theform of either of the following:1. Population size estimated to numberfewer than 1000 mature individuals.2. Population with a very restricted area ofoccupancy (typically less than 20 km2) ornumber of locations (typically five orfewer) such that it is prone to the effectsof human activities or stochastic eventswithin a very short time period in anuncertain future, and is thus capable ofbecoming Critically Endangered or evenExtinct in a very short time period.

E. Quantitative analysis showing theprobability of extinction in the wild is atleast 10% within 100 years.

IUCN Red List Categories and CriteriaVersion 3.1

Prepared by the IUCN Species SurvivalCommissionAs approved by the 51st meeting of theIUCN Council Gland, Switzerland9 February 2000, IUCN � The WorldConservation Union, 2001

The Red List Categories and Criteria,Version 3.1 are available at:http://www.iucn.org/themes/ssc/red-lists.htm1Explanation of Criteria

...continued from front inside cover page


Acomys dimidiatus (Cretzschmar, 1826)Allactaga elater (Lichtenstein, 1828)Allactaga hotsoni Thomas, 1920Alticola albicauda (True, 1894)Alticola argentatus (Severtzov, 1879)Alticola blanfordi (Scully, 1880)Alticola montosa (True, 1894)Alticola roylei (Gray, 1842)Alticola stoliczkanus (Blanford, 1875)Alticola stracheyi (Thomas, 1880)-Anathana ellioti (Waterhouse, 1850)Anourosorex squamipes Milne Edwards,1872Apodemus draco (Barrett Hamilton, 1900)Apodemus gurkha Thomas, 1924Apodemus latronum (Thomas, 1911)Apodemus orestes (Thomas, 1911)Apodemus sylvaticus (Linnaeus, 1758)Atherurus macrourus (Linnaeus, 1758)Bandicota bengalensis (Gray & Hardwicke,1833)Bandicota indica (Bechstein, 1800)Bandicota maxima Pradhan et al. 1993Belomys pearsonii (Gray, 1842)Berylmys bowersi (Anderson, 1879)Berylmys mackenziei (Thomas, 1916)Berylmys manipulus (Thomas, 1916)Biswamoyopterus biswasi Saha, 1981Callosciurus erythraeus (Pallas, 1799)Callosciurus pygerythrus (I. G. SaintHilaire, 1831)Calomyscus baluchi Thomas, 1920Calomyscus hotsoni Thomas, 1920Cannomys badius (Hodgson, 1841)Caprolagus hispidus (Pearson, 1839)Chimmarogale himalayica (Gray, 1842)Chiropodomys gliroides (Blyth, 1856)Cremnomys blanfordi (Thomas, 1881)Cremnomys cutchicus Wroughton, 1912Cremnomys elvira (Ellerman, 1947)Cricetulus alticola Thomas, 1917Cricetulus migratorius (Pallas, 1773)Crocidura andamanensis Miller, 1902Crocidura attenuata Milne Edwards, 1872Crocidura gueldenstaedtii (Pallas, 1811)Crocidura hispida Thomas, 1913Crocidura horsfieldi (Tomes, 1856)Crocidura jenkinsi Chakraborty, 1978Crocidura leucodon (Hermann, 1780)Crocidura miya Phillips, 1929Crocidura nicobarica Miller, 1902Crocidura pergrisea Miller, 1913Crocidura zarudnyi Ognev, 1928Dacnomys millardi Thomas, 1916Diomys crumpi Thomas, 1917Dremomys lokriah (Hodgson, 1836)Dremomys pernyi (Milne Edwards, 1867)Dremomys rufigenis (Blanford, 1878)Dryomys nitedula (Pallas, 1778)Ellobius fuscocapillus (Blyth, 1842)Eoglaucomys fimbriatus (Gray, 1837)Eothenomys melanogaster (Milne Edwards,1871)Eupetaurus cinereus Thomas, 1888Euroscaptor micrura (Hodgson, 1841)

Feroculus feroculus (Kelaart, 1850)Funambulus layardi (Blyth, 1849)Funambulus palmarum (Linnaeus, 1766)Funambulus pennantii Wroughton, 1905Funambulus sublineatus (Waterhouse,1838)Funambulus tristriatus (Waterhouse,1837)Gerbillus aquilus Schlitter & Stezer, 1972Gerbillus cheesmani Thomas, 1919Gerbillus gleadowi Murray, 1886Gerbillus nanus Blanford, 1875Golunda ellioti Gray, 1837Hadromys humei (Thomas, 1886)Hemiechinus auritus (Gmelin, 1770)Hemiechinus collaris (Gray, 1830)Hemiechinus hypomelas (Brandt, 1836)Hemiechinus micropus (Blyth, 1846)Hemiechinus nudiventris (Horsfield, 1851)Hylopetes alboniger (Hodgson, 1836)Hylopetes baberi (Blyth, 1847)Hyperacrius fertilis (True, 1894)Hyperacrius wynnei (Blanford, 1881)Hystrix brachyura Linnaeus, 1758Hystrix indica (Kerr, 1792)Jaculus blanfordi (Murray, 1884)Leopoldamys edwardsi (Thomas, 1882)Leopoldamys sabanus (Thomas, 1887)Lepus capensis Linnaeus, 1758Lepus nigricollis Cuvier, 1823Lepus oiostolus Hodgson, 1840Lepus tolai Pallas, 1778Manis crassicaudata (Gray, 1827)Manis pentadactyla Linnaeus, 1758Marmota caudata (Geoffroy, 1844)Marmota himalayana (Hodgson, 1841)Meriones crassus Sundevall, 1842Meriones hurrianae (Jerdon, 1867)Meriones lybicus Lichtenstein, 1823Meriones persicus (Blanford, 1875)Micromys minutus (Pallas, 1771)Microtus juldaschi (Severtzov, 1879)Microtus leucurus (Blyth, 1863)Microtus sikimensis (Hodgson, 1849)Millardia gleadowi (Murray, 1885)Millardia kondana Mishra & Dhanda, 1975Millardia meltada (Gray, 1837)Mus booduga (Gray, 1837)Mus cervicolor Hodgson, 1845Mus cookii Ryley, 1914Mus famulus Bonhote, 1898Mus fernandoni (Phillips, 1932)Mus mayori (Thomas, 1915)Mus musculus Linnaeus, 1758Mus pahari Thomas, 1916Mus phillipsi Wroughton, 1912Mus platythrix Bennet, 1832Mus saxicola Elliot, 1839Nectogale elegans Milne Edwards, 1870Nesokia indica (Gray & Hardwicke, 1832)Niviventer brahma (Thomas, 1914)Niviventer eha (Wroughton, 1916)Niviventer fulvescens (Gray, 1847)Niviventer langbianis (Robinson & Kloss,1922)

Niviventer niviventer (Hodgson, 1836)Niviventer tenaster (Thomas, 1916)Ochotona curzoniae (Hodgson, 1858)Ochotona forresti Thomas, 1923Ochotona himalayana Feng, 1973Ochotona ladacensis (Gunther, 1875)Ochotona macrotis (Gunther, 1875)Ochotona nubrica Thomas, 1922Ochotona roylei (Ogilby, 1839)Ochotona rufescens (Gray, 1842)Ochotona thibetana (Milne Edwards, 1871)Parascaptor leucura (Blyth, 1850)Petaurista caniceps (Blyth, 1842)Petaurista magnificus (Hodgson, 1836)Petaurista nobilis (Gray, 1842)Petaurista petaurista (Pallas, 1766)Petaurista philippensis (Elliot, 1839)Petinomys fuscocapillus (Jerdon, 1847)Platacanthomys lasiurus Blyth, 1859Rattus burrus (Miller, 1902)Rattus exulans (Peale, 1848)Rattus montanus Phillips, 1932Rattus nitidus (Hodgson, 1845)Rattus norvegicus (Berkenhout, 1769)Rattus palmarum (Zelebor, 1869)Rattus ranjiniae Agrawal & Ghosh, 1969Rattus rattus (Linnaeus, 1758)Rattus sikkimensis (Hinton, 1919)Rattus stoicus (Miller, 1902)Rattus tanezumi (Temminck, 1844)Rattus turkestanicus (Satunin, 1903)Rattus vicerex (Bonhote, 1903)Ratufa bicolor (Sparrman, 1778)Ratufa indica (Erxleben, 1777)Ratufa macroura (Pennant, 1769)Rhizomys pruinosus Blyth, 1851Rhombomys opimus (Lichtenstein, 1823)Salpingotus michaelis Fitzgibbon, 1966Sicista concolor (Buchner, 1892)Solisorex pearsonii Thomas, 1924Sorex bedfordiae Thomas, 1911Sorex excelsus Allen, 1923Sorex minutus Linnaeus, 1766Sorex planiceps Miller, 1911Soriculus caudatus (Horsfield, 1851)Soriculus leucops (Hodgson, 1855)Soriculus macrurus Blanford, 1888Soriculus nigriscens (Gray, 1842)Srilankamys ohiensis (Phillips, 1929)Suncus dayi (Dobson, 1888)Suncus etruscus (Savi, 1822)Suncus fellowesgordoni Phillips, 1932Suncus montanus (Kelaart, 1850)Suncus murinus (Linnaeus, 1766)Suncus stoliczkanus (Anderson, 1877)Suncus zeylanicus Phillips, 1928Tamiops macclellandi (Horsfield, 1840)Tatera indica (Hardwicke, 1807)Tupaia belangeri (Wagner, 1841)Tupaia nicobarica (Zelebor, 1869)Vandeleuria nolthenii (Phillips, 1929)Vandeleuria oleracea (Bennett, 1832)

South Asian Non-volant Small Mammals

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