Abstract

The cotton pygmy-goose (CPG) Nettapus coromandelianus coromandelianus Gmelin is an environmental indicator species among the anatids. Its population is going to be more or less vulnerable when threatened from the chance events such as severe weather, diseases and other natural as well as anthropogenic factors. The present study was conducted to have a detailed look over the factors responsible for the population decline in certain wetlands in Assam, India, from June 2006 to January 2009.  Various factors have been recognized to have effects over the CPG population and are categorized as biological, social, natural, political and perceptual factors. The most affecting forces are found to be the social factors which have both direct and indirect effects. Of the direct threats, it was observed that 88.4% of the hunting cases were done for consumption, 3 for fun, 8.2 for selling and 0.4 for associated economic loss. Economic hardship has led to felling of nesting trees in 37.2% of the cases, while about 48.1% of the people use these as their source of income. About 13% exploit them for fuel and about 1.7 percent of them who cut the nesting trees for construction purposes are the major indirect threats for Cotton Pygmy-goose conservation. A compelling rational and effective strategy for the least concern species will require an increasing recognition that most of the contemporary extinction problems are associated with socio-economic and political forces.

Key words: Anthropogenic, biological, cotton pygmy-goose, Nettapus coromandelianusgmelin, natural, perceptual, political, social.