Thursday, Jan 29, 2004 THIRUVANANTHAPURAM, JAN. 28. The Economic Review, 2003, prepared by the State Planning Board, warns that a third of the State's biodiversity would vanish or would be close to extinction by 2030 unless steps were taken to check extinction of species. The Review, presented to the Assembly last Friday, suggests that the State is on the brink of a crisis. Of the 300 rare, endangered or threatened species in the Western Ghats, 159 are in Kerala. Of these, 70 are herbs, 23 climbers, eight epiphytes, 15 shrubs and 43 trees. Besides, 10 species of freshwater fish are identified as `most threatened'. Kerala has a flora of 10,035 species, which represent 22 per cent of India's flora. Of these, 3,872 are flowering plants of which 1,272 are endemic. As many as 102 species of mammals, 476 birds, 169 reptiles, 89 amphibians and 202 species of freshwater fish are reported from Kerala. Many of them are endemic. The Review, which devotes a full chapter to Environment this year, says that the major obstacles to the conservation of biodiversity are under-valuation of natural resources, ruthless exploitation of biological and genetic resources for profit, poor knowledge of species and eco-systems, insufficiency in using applied management practices, narrow focus of attention by conservationalists and insufficient funding of institutions engaged in biodiversity conservation. "At the present rate, the State would have a population of 60 million by 2030. By that time, a third of the biodiversity would be extinct or would remain in isolated refugia of nonviable population which may enter into the vortex of extinction." The Review recalls that during the 20th century, at least 50 plant species have become extinct in the country. Three species of birds - Himalayan mountain quail, forest spotted owlet and pink-headed duct - have become extinct. Besides, as many as 69 bird species have been categorised as extinct. The mammals, Indian Cheetah and lesser one-horned rhinoceros, have also perished. The Malabar civet is on the threshold of extinction and 173 species have been listed as threatened. Among flowering plants, about 1,500 species come under threatened categories. It notes that nearly 23 per cent of the total endemic flora species of the country are in Kerala. Of 1,272 such species, 102 species occur exclusively in Kerala. Describing a conservation strategy, the Review says that ecologically-sensitive areas have to be identified with reference to topography, hydrological regimes and this has to be networked with species diversity. Catchment and coastal areas are two ecologically-sensitive areas in Kerala. Land use planning of catchment areas with afforestation of native species through natural growth, shola protection and aerial seeding with native seeds and closing the area from human interference for varying periods can help develop natural forests without much expenditure. This would enhance the biodiversity of the area, allow soil conservation and increase the discharge of rainwater without siltation into man-made dams.