Jeypore Ground Gecko included in Appendix II of the CITES

Tags: Environment

The Jeypore ground gecko (Cyrtodactylus jeyporensis), an endemic reptile of India, has been included in Appendix II of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES).

About Jeypore Ground Gecko

• It is a wild reptile species endemic to India.

• It is a rare species and was first described in 1878 by Colonel Richard Henry Beddom, a British officer and naturalist.

• It was rediscovered by a team of researchers in 2011 after a gap of over 130 years.

• It is found in the Eastern Ghats and is known to be present in four locations including southern Odisha and northern Andhra Pradesh.

• The inclusion of this species in Appendix II was proposed by India at the recently concluded 19th Conference of the Parties (COP19) to CITES in Panama City.

• IUCN Status: Endangered

Threats to this species

• Habitat loss and degradation, poaching for domestic and international trade, forest fires, tourism, quarrying and mining activity. 

• This species is not included in the protection list mentioned under the Wild Life (Protection) Act, 1972.