Nine anchor species could advance India's biodiversity and climate goals

Research published in Conservation Letters identifies nine "anchor species" in India whose habitat conservation could deliver combined benefits for biodiversity and climate mitigation. The species are the sambar deer, dhole, king cobra, gaur, sloth bear, Indian pangolin, great hornbill, tiger, and leopard. The study, led by Aakash Lamba of the Centre for Nature-based Climate Solutions at the National University of Singapore, used high-resolution habitat maps for more than 2,000 vertebrates to quantify co-occurrence and carbon storage.

Protecting the habitat of any single anchor species could help conserve more than 700 mammals, birds, and reptiles while safeguarding approximately 1.1 gigatonnes of above-ground carbon across India. The habitats of sambar deer, leopard, and dhole alone account for over half of the above-ground carbon and half of the co-occurring vertebrate species in the analysis. Sambar deer habitat was estimated to hold 3.12 gigatonnes of above-ground carbon, the highest among the nine species.

The research builds on a 2023 study showing that enhanced protection in tiger reserves avoided over 5,800 hectares of forest loss between 2007 and 2020, equivalent to more than one million metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions. Lamba said the team asked whether other species could function as similar conservation anchors. They focused on 160 vertebrates listed under Schedule I of India's Wildlife Protection Act and classified as endangered or vulnerable by the IUCN, reasoning these species are most likely to attract policy attention and funding.

The study found that a majority of land inhabited by the anchor species lies outside India's current protected area network, which covers roughly 5% of the country's land. Habitats used by sambar deer (90.7%), dhole (88.2%), and leopard (75.1%) showed particularly strong overlap with unprotected areas. Lamba noted that conserving non-charismatic species like the sambar deer and Indian pangolin could yield carbon benefits because they often inhabit areas beyond formal national parks and sanctuaries.

Independent experts offered caveats. Vikram Aditya of the Centre for Wildlife Studies said the study validates the umbrella species concept with quantitative data but cautioned that leopards are generalists found in grasslands and near settlements, while sambar deer require high-quality dense forests. He suggested finer-scale mapping and expansion of the concept to non-forest ecosystems. Alok Bang of Azim Premji University welcomed the transparent, quantitative framework but warned the approach may favor forest-dwelling species over grassland or arid-land specialists such as the critically endangered Great Indian Bustard.

Lamba acknowledged the forest focus, stating the study's primary design was to create a statistical link between biodiversity and natural carbon stock. He described the anchor species model as a "next generation conservation model" that could be politically easier to implement than entirely new mechanisms, leveraging existing species-specific programs like Project Tiger. The framework could also help India meet its Nationally Determined Contributions under the Paris Agreement and generate revenue through ecotourism.

The analysis used Area of Habitat modelling, which refines broad range maps by accounting for habitat suitability and elevation, providing more realistic estimates of species occurrence. The paper is published as India faces pressure to expand protected areas to meet the global 30x30 target of conserving 30% of land and ocean by 2030 under the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.