Recent study highlights severe impact of climate change on giant flying squirrels

Kolkata: Two recent scientific collaborative research involving three Indian institutes and one foreign have highlighted the severe impact of climate change and human activities on the habitats of giant flying squirrels in South and Southeast Asia.

Conducted by researchers from the department of Zoology (Bodoland University, Assam), Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) (Kolkata), Indian Statistical Institute (ISI) Kolkata and Pukyong National University in South Korea, the studies examined four lesser-known flying squirrel species namely Petaurista magnificus, Petaurista nobilis, Petaurista elegans and Hylopetes phayrei and uncovered alarming levels of habitat loss and fragmentation throughout their natural ranges. These squirrels are vital to forest health as they help with pollination and seed dispersal and serve as indicators of ecosystem balance. Imon Abedin, the lead author of the two studies, said: “Using ensemble species distribution models, the study revealed that Petaurista magnificus currently retains only 3.92 per cent of its IUCN-defined range as suitable habitat, while Petaurista nobilis has just 14.17 per cent. Similarly, Petaurista elegans and Hylopetes phayrei show critically low habitat availability under present conditions, with only 1.56-1.66 per cent and 0.22-2.47 per cent of their estimated ranges remaining suitable, respectively.”

Manokaran Kamalakannan, from ZSI said that the study relied on both primary and secondary occurrence records, along with morphological data from museum specimen collections preserved in the National Zoological Collections of the ZSI which serves as a reliable source for the validation of these studies. Tanoy Mukherjee, from ISI, Kolkata pointed out that future projections unveil an even more alarming picture. “By 2080, P. magnificus could lose up to 81.9 per cent of its suitable habitat and P. nobilis as much as 89.9 per cent. Likewise, P. elegans is projected to lose up to 74 per cent of its habitat, while H. phayrei could see a staggering 88.8 per cent reduction. “These losses are expected to occur even within areas currently recognised as part of their IUCN-assessed ranges, many of which will likely become ecologically unsuitable by the end of the century,” he added. Prof. Hilloljyoti Singha, from Bodoland University, Assam said that forest loss from logging, agriculture and urbanisation is compounding the effects of climate change, threatening their existence. Prof. Shantanu Kundu, from Pukyong National University, South Korea strongly recommended immediate action, including field surveys to locate and monitor populations, genetic studies to understand population healt and most importantly, the development of forest corridors that connect isolated habitat patches.

Dhriti Banerjee, Director, ZSI ruled that these squirrels have received little conservation attention, despite their importance. She advocated urgent action, including field surveys, habitat corridor planning and joint conservation efforts between neighbouring countries for preventing these unique gliding mammals from vanishing from our forests in the near future.