'Mining, construction pose threat to Sahyadri's microfauna'

Varad Giri is the deputy director (collections) of the Bombay Natural History Society (BNHS), an organisation working for conservation of nature for the last 127 years. Giri is also a scientific associate of the Natural History Museum, London. He has been extensively working on the reptiles and amphibians of the Western Ghats. Giri along with other researchers, in last six years, have discovered new species of amphibians and reptiles in the Western Ghats. He explains to Mohsin Mulla the richness of the microfauna in the Sahyadri mountain range in Maharashtra.

What species of amphibians and reptiles were discovered by you in the Western Ghats? A group of researchers, including me, worked extensively and discovered few interesting species of caecilians and the geckos. We have found three species of caecilians, which are the limbless amphibians and four species of geckos, the reptiles.

Is microfauna of Sahyadri as rich as the other parts of Western Ghats? Sahyadri has a unique diversity of microfauna. The mountain range has many species of amphibians and reptiles, which are endemic. This makes the microfauna biodiversity of Sahyadri very special. Earlier, it was considered that the microfauna biodiversity of Sahyadri is not too rich, but this belief has been proved false as many new species have been discovered from this mountain range.

What issues are threatening the microfauna of Sahyadri? Activities like mining, construction, encroachments and soil erosion pose a threat to the microfauna of Sahyadri. There are issues pertaining to conservation that we need to address. The needs of amphibians and reptiles are limited and thus even small changes cause them immense threats. We need to understand that the loss will be permanent for many species. The importance of amphibians and reptiles in the food chain is very crucial. They play the major role of prey as well as of predators. Suppose the number of frogs decline, it will give rise to insects thus creating major health challenges for human beings.

What steps should be taken to conserve the microfauna? First of all we need to research what is to be conserved. The extensive research of the microfauna at Sahyadri needs to be undertaken. Frankly speaking, at present, we do not know what exactly the biodiversity of Sahyadri is mainly due to lack of proper and extensive research. The research is essential to identify the species, their habitats and threats so that the proper conservation programme can be initiated. The conservation programmes without any research work will not be of any use.