Collateral damage: Western Ghats freshwater species in peril 22
September 2011 | News story Freshwater species in the Western
Ghats, India, are being sacrificed as collateral damage in the
race for rapid economic development. For the first time,
comprehensive data are available on the conservation status and
distribution of all freshwater fishes, molluscs, dragonflies,
damselflies and aquatic plants across peninsular India. Water
pollution from agricultural and urban sources, overharvesting
and invasive species are the major threats that have led to 16%
of freshwater species in the region for which we have sufficient
data being classified as threatened with extinction on The IUCN
Red List of Threatened SpeciesTM. Alarmingly, the centre of
threat is within the Western Ghats Biodiversity Hotspot, one of
the Earth’s most biodiverse areas, running along western
peninsular India. “This unique and up-to-date information will
provide invaluable guidance to policy makers, developers and
conservation practitioners ali