# Nine anchor species can boost biodiversity and carbon storage 2026-08-13T18:17:48+00:00 | India | Indian Opinion Desk Corroboration: 1 independent outlet New research in Conservation Letters identifies nine ‘anchor species’ whose habitat protection could preserve over 700 vertebrate species and around 1.1 gigatonnes of above-ground carbon across India. The species include sambar deer, dhole, king cobra, gaur, sloth bear, Indian pangolin, great hornbill, tiger and leopard. Protecting any one of these habitats yields combined biodiversity and climate benefits, the study finds. India faces growing pressure to meet the global 30x30 target, yet only about 5 per cent of its land is currently protected. Co-author Aakash Lamba of the National University of Singapore says the model challenges the assumption that tigers are the only high-impact conservation investment, showing that other charismatic species can generate equal or greater returns. ## Coverage - india.mongabay.com Tags: anchor species, biodiversity, climate mitigation, India, protected areas, species conservation Canonical: https://indianopinion.org/nine-anchor-species-can-boost-biodiversity-and-carbon-storage/ License: Summary and commentary (c) Indian Opinion, reusable with attribution. Facts belong to the linked sources. Cite: https://indianopinion.org/nine-anchor-species-can-boost-biodiversity-and-carbon-storage/#story-in-brief Review state: restored archive article, accurate at time of publication, not offered to search indexes.