Study highlights alarming conservation trends for two giant flying squirrel species amid climate change

Kolkata: A recent collaborative study by researchers from India and South Korea has highlighted alarming conservation trends for two giant flying squirrel species (Petaurista spp.) amid climate change, emphasising the urgent need for adaptive conservation strategies to protect these lesser-known gliders.

In recent decades, two giant flying squirrel species, Petaurista mishmiensis and Petaurista mechukaensis, have been discovered in Arunachal Pradesh, specifically in the Mishmi Hills and Mechukha. The distribution of these species spans a wide variety of ecosystems and climates. However, no comprehensive ecological assessment has been conducted for them to date.

The model indicates that both species have suitable habitat patches extending beyond their currently recognized IUCN ranges in Arunachal Pradesh. Under present conditions, P. mishmiensis has the largest predicted suitable habitat (9,213 km²), followed by P. mechukaensis (6,754 km²), according to Imon Abedin of Bodoland University, Kokrajhar. However, future projections suggest alarming habitat losses ranging from 13.45 to 55.86 per cent across the study area. Severe habitat fragmentation is also evident, with P. mishmiensis experiencing a significant decline in viable habitat patches, leading to the loss of several areas and increased isolation of the remaining ones. Meanwhile, P. mechukaensis undergoes substantial habitat disintegration, resulting in numerous smaller, more scattered patches within Arunachal Pradesh, said Tanoy Mukherjee of the Indian Statistical Institute, Kolkata. In light of these findings, the study strongly recommends conducting thorough field surveys in the areas identified as suitable habitats by the model to develop effective species management plans, said Manokaran Kamalakannan of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) , Kolkata.

Additionally, molecular studies should be carried out to confirm the taxonomic status of these species and their type localities. While the IUCN-SSC Small Mammal Specialist Group (SMSG) has recognised them based on morphological characteristics, genetic analyses will provide crucial phylogenetic insights, establish evolutionary timelines and determine whether riverine systems have acted as barriers to their dispersal, potentially driving speciation, said Shantanu Kundu of Pukyong National University, South Korea. Field expeditions should be carried out in the identified suitable habitats to assess their viability and investigate the potential presence of other similar, yet undiscovered, species, said Hilloljyoti Singha from Bodoland University, Kokrajhar.

“The establishment of joint forest conservation committees is recommended, consisting of village leaders, forest personnel, defense personnel, naturalists, scientists and other stakeholders to support conservation efforts. These committees will play a crucial role in monitoring populations, facilitating conservation activities and promoting community-driven initiatives to ensure the long-term survival of these species,” said Dhriti Banerjee, ZSI Director. The study, recently published in the peer-reviewed journal Biology, uses an ensemble Species Distribution Model to assess the climatic factors influencing conservation planning for these forest gliders.