SC-NBWL recommends adding pygmy hog to list of critically endangered species
The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife has recommended classifying the pygmy hog as a critically endangered species. This move aims to facilitate financial assistance and scientific recovery programs to protect the species and restore its grassland habitats.
Why it matters
Formal recognition as critically endangered is a vital step in securing federal funding and legal protections necessary to prevent the extinction of one of the world's rarest wild pigs.
The Standing Committee of the National Board for Wildlife (SC-NBWL) has recommended the inclusion of the pygmy hog — the smallest and rarest species of wild pig — in the list of critically endangered species under a centrally sponsored scheme.
Known as the Integrated Development of Wildlife Habitats (IDWH), the scheme provides financial assistance to states to protect certain species or wildlife areas through its recovery programme for critically endangered species and habitats.
The decision was made during the SC-NBWL's meeting held on July 9, where the Wildlife Institute of India (WII) presented on the pygmy hog's status in the country.
The WII highlighted the successful conservation initiatives undertaken in Assam, and the need to expand the programme to suitable grassland habitats in other parts of the species' historical range.
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