What is Raorchestes asakgrensis?

About Raorchestes asakgrensis:

• It is a new species of frog.
• It was named after the Eman Asakgre Community Reserve in the Garo Hills of Meghalaya, where it was discovered, to honour the local community’s support in conservation efforts.
• Features:
  • Found at an elevation of 174 meters in Eman Asakgre, this small arboreal frog is distinctive for its pointed snout and visible tympanum.
  • Males measure about 20.49 mm in snout-vent length, with females slightly larger at 22.8 mm. 
  • Males call from shrubs at dusk, perched 1.5 meters or higher, with calling activity peaking after the first monsoon rains.

What is a Community Reserve?

• Conservation reserves and community reserves in India are terms denoting protected areas which typically act as buffer zones to or connectors and migration corridors between established national parks, wildlife sanctuaries, and reserved and protected forests of India.
• Such areas are designated as conservation reserves if they are uninhabited and completely owned by the Government of India but used for subsistence by communities and community reserves if part of the lands is privately owned.
• These protected area categories were first introduced in the Wildlife (Protection) Amendment Act of 2002, the amendment to the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972. 
• There are 220 existing community reserves in India, covering an area of 1455.16 sq.km.
  • 108 of the 220 community reserves are in the northeastern states of Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, and Nagaland.
  • Maximum number exists in Nagaland (114).

Q1: What is the Wildlife Protection Act of 1972?

The Government enacted Wildlife (Protection) Act 1972 with the objective of effectively protecting the wildlife of this country and to control poaching, smuggling and illegal trade in wildlife and its derivatives. The Act was amended in January 2003 and punishment and penalty for offences under the Act have been made more stringent.

News: SACON team from TN's Anaikatti discovers new frog species in Meghalaya during two-year study