India’s Uniqueness in Biodiversity

Facts of Biodiversity
According to IUCN (2004), the total number of plant and animal species described so
far is slightly more than 1.5 million. This estimates place the global species diversity
at several million.
A large proportion of the species waiting to be discovered are in the tropics.
More than 70 per cent of all the species recorded are animals, plants (including algae,
fungi, bryophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms) comprise not more than 22 per
cent of the total.
Among animals, insects are the most species-rich taxonomic group, making up more
than 70 per cent of the total.
The number of fungi species in the world is more than the combined total of the
species of fishes, amphibians, reptiles and mammals.
The largely tropical Amazonian rain forest in South America has the greatest
biodiversity on earth.
India is world’s most diverse country both culturally and biologically. India is one of
the seventeen Mega diverse countries identified by Conservation International. It has rich
biodiversity with bulk of world’s flora and fauna species and many of them are endemic
(native to India; not found elsewhere).

The existence of mass poverty on an enormous scale lies upon two important facts: first that
the country exports natural products that command high prices in overseas markets, such as
basmati rice and Darjeeling tea, as well as products like medicinal and aromatic plants that
are major inputs in rapidly expanding industries; and second that India has achieved
significant capabilities in industrial chemistry and the life sciences.
Definitions

Biodiversity: Biodiversity is the variety of plant and animal life in the world or in a
particular habitat. Biodiversity is measured by two major components: species richness
and species evenness.
Species richness: It is the measure of the number of species found in a community.
Species evenness: Species evenness is a measure of the relative abundance of the
different species making up the richness of an area.
Example: The sample forest A has 4 tigers, 5 deer and 6 rabbits and sample forest B has 1
tiger, 6 deer and 8 rabbits. Both samples have the same richness (3 species – species richness)
and the same total number of individuals (15). However, the sample forest A has more
evenness than the sample forest B. Low evenness indicates that a few species dominate the
site.
Biological diversity is usually considered at three different levels –
Genetic diversity: Genetic diversity is the total number of genetic characteristics in
the genetic makeup of a species.

A single species might show high diversity at the genetic level (E.g. Homo sapiens:
Chinese, Indian American, African etc.).
India has more than 50,000 genetically different strains of rice and 1,000 varieties of
mango.
Genetic diversity allows species to adapt to changing environments. This diversity
aims to ensure that some species survive drastic changes and thus carry on
desirable genes.
Species that differ from one another in their genetic makeup do not interbreed in
nature.
Closely-related species have in common much of their hereditary characteristics. For
instance, about 98.4 per cent of the genes of humans and chimpanzees are the same.
Species diversity: It is the ratio of one species population over total number of organisms
across all species in the given biome. ‘Zero’ would be infinite diversity, and ‘one’
represents only one species present.
 Species diversity is a measure of the diversity within an ecological community that
incorporates both species richness (the number of species in a community) and the
evenness of species.
In general, species diversity decreases as we move away from the equator towards the
poles.
With very few exceptions, tropics (latitudinal range of 23.5° N to 23.5° S) harbour
more species than temperate or polar areas.
Bioprospecting: nations endowed with rich biodiversity explore molecular, genetic and
species-level diversity to derive products of economic importance.
Stable community: A stable community means that there is not much variation in
productivity from year to year; it is either resistant or flexible to occasional
disturbances (natural or human-made) and is resistant to invasions by alien species.
Ecological diversity: Ecological diversity refers to different types of habitats. A habitat is
the cumulative factor of the climate, vegetation and geography of a region.
 It includes various biological zones, like a lake, desert, coast, estuaries,
wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs etc.
At the ecosystem level, India, for instance, with its deserts, rain forests, mangroves,
coral reefs, wetlands, estuaries, and alpine meadows has greater ecosystem diversity
than a Scandinavian country like Norway.
Ecology use three different terms for various practical measures of biodiversity:
Alpha diversity: It refers to the diversity within a particular area or ecosystem and is
usually expressed by the number of species (i.e., species richness) in that ecosystem.

Beta diversity: It is a comparison of diversity between ecosystems, usually measured

as the change in the amount of species between the ecosystems.
 Gamma diversity: It is a measure of the overall diversity for the different ecosystems
within a region.
Endemism: There are more than 200000 species in India of which several are confined to
India (endemic).
Endemism is the ecological state of a species being unique to a defined geographic
location, such as an island, nation, country or other defined zone, or habitat type;
organisms that are indigenous to a place are not endemic to it if they are also found
elsewhere.
A particular type of animal or plant may be endemic to a zone, a state or a country.
The extreme opposite of endemism is cosmopolitan distribution.
Keystone species: Keystone species is a species whose addition to or loss from an
ecosystem leads to major changes in the occurrence of at least one other species.
Certain species in an ecosystem is considered more important in determining the
presence of many other species in that ecosystem.
All top predators (Tiger, Lion, Crocodile, Elephant) are considered as keystone
species because they regulate all other animal population indirectly.
Hence top predators are given much consideration in conservation.
If keystone species is lost, it will result in the degradation of the whole ecosystem.
For example, certain plant species (ebony tree, Indian-laurel) exclusively depends
upon bats for its pollination. If the bat population is reduced, then regeneration of
particular plants becomes more difficult.
Foundation species: Foundation species is a dominant primary producer in an ecosystem
both in terms of abundance and influence. Example: kelp in kelp forests and corals in coral
reefs.
Flagship species: A flagship species is a species chosen to represent an environmental
cause, such as an ecosystem in need of conservation.
These species are chosen for their vulnerability, attractiveness or distinctiveness in
order to engender support and acknowledgement from the public at large.
Example: Indian tiger, African elephant, giant panda of China, the leatherback sea
turtle, etc.

Biodiversity of India

India is recognized as one of the mega-diverse countries, rich in biodiversity and

associated traditional knowledge.
India has 23.39% of its geographical area under forest and tree cover.
With just 2.4% of the land area, India accounts for nearly 7% of the recorded species
even while supporting almost 18% of the human population.
In terms of species richness, India ranks seventh in mammals, ninth in birds
and fifth in reptiles.
In terms of endemism of vertebrate groups, India’s position is tenth in birds with 69
species, fifth in reptiles with 156 species and seventh in amphibians with 110
species.
India’s share of crops is 44% as compared to the world average of 11%.
India Represents
 Two ‘Realms’
 Five Biomes
 Ten Bio-geographic Zones
 Twenty-five Bio-geographic provinces

Realms

Biogeographic realms are large spatial regions within which ecosystems share a
broadly similar biota.
A realm is a continent or sub-continent sized area with unifying features of geography
and fauna & flora.
The Indian region is composed of two realms. They are:
1. The Himalayan region represented by Palearctic Realm and
2. The rest of the sub-continent represented by Malayan Realm
In world, eight terrestrial bio-geographic realms are typically recognised. They are
1. Nearctic Realm
2. Palaearctic Realm
3. Africotropical Realm
4. Indomalayan Realm
5. Oceania Realm
6. Australian Realm
7. Antarctic Realm
8. Neotropical Realm

Biomes of India

The term biome means the main groups of plants and animals living in areas of
certain climate patterns.
It includes the way in which animals, vegetation and soil interact together. The plants
and animals of that area have adapted to that environment.
The five biomes of India are:
1. Tropical Humid Forests
2. Tropical Dry or Deciduous Forests (including Monsoon Forests)
3. Warm deserts and semi-deserts
4. Coniferous forests and
5. Alpine meadows.

Bio-geographic Zones

Biogeography deals with the geographical distribution of plants and animals.

Bio-geographic zones were used as a basis for planning wildlife protected areas in
India.
There are 10 bio-geographic zones which are distinguished clearly in India. They are
as follows:
1. Trans-Himalayas
2. Himalayas
3. Desert
 4. Semi-arid
5. Western Ghats
6. Deccan Peninsula
7. Gangetic plain
8. North-east India
9. Islands
10. Coasts

Bio-geographic provinces

Bio-geographic Province is an eco systematic or biotic subdivision of realms.

India is divided into 25 bio geographic zones.

Bio-geographic Zones (10) Bio-geographic Provinces (25)

1. 1A: Himalaya – Ladakh Mountains

1. Trans Himalaya 2. 1B: Himalaya – Tibetan Plateau
3. 1C: Trans – Himalaya Sikkim

1. 2A: Himalaya – North West Himalaya

2. 2B: Himalaya – West Himalaya
1. The Himalaya
3. 2C: Himalaya – Central Himalaya
4. 2D: Himalaya – East Himalaya

1. 3A: Desert – Thar

1. The Indian Desert
2. 3B: Desert – Kutch

1. 4A: Semi-Arid – Punjab Plains

1. The Semi-Arid
2. 4B: Semi-Arid – Gujarat Rajputana

1. 5A: Western Ghats – Malabar Plains

1. The Western Ghats
2. 5B: Western Ghats – Western Ghats Mountains

1. 6A: Deccan Peninsular – Central Highlands

2. 6B: Deccan Peninsular – Chotta Nagpur
1. The Deccan Peninsula 3. 6C: Deccan Peninsular – Eastern Highlands
4. 6D: Deccan Peninsular – Central Plateau
5. 6E: Deccan Peninsular – Deccan South

1. The Gangetic Plains 1. 7A: Gangetic Plain – Upper Gangetic Plains

 2. 7B: Gangetic Plain – Lower Gangetic Plains

1. 8A: Coasts – West Coast

1. The Coasts 2. 8B: Coasts – East Coast
3. 8C: Coasts – Lakshadweep

1. 9A: North-East – Brahmaputra Valley

1. Northeast India
2. 9B: North-East – North East Hills

1. 10A: Islands – Andaman

1. Islands
2. 10B: Islands – Nicobars

Wildlife Diversity of India

Himalayan mountain system

The west Himalayas have low rainfall, heavy snowfall (temperate conditions).
In the east Himalayas, there is heavy rainfall, snowfall only at very high altitudes.
Lower altitudes conditions are similar to the tropical rain forests.
Himalayan foothills

Flora: Natural monsoon evergreen and semi-evergreen forests; dominant species

are sal, silk-cotton trees, giant bamboos; tall grassy meadow with savannahs in terai.
 Fauna: Elephant, sambar, swamp deer, cheetal, hog deer, barking deer, wild boar
tiger, panther, hyena, black bear, sloth bear, Great Indian one-horned rhinoceros, wild
buffalo, Gangetic gharial, golden langur.
Western Himalayas (High altitude region)
Flora: Natural monsoon evergreen and semi-evergreen forests; rhododendrons; dwarf
hill bamboo and birch forests mixed with alpine pastures.

Western Himalayan alpine shrub and meadows in Valley of Flowers National

Park in Uttarakhand, India
Fauna: Tibetan wild ass (kiang) (Don’t confuse this with Asiatic wild ass which in
found in Kutch region), wild goats (thar, ibex) and blue sheep; antelopes (Chiru and
Tibetan gazelle), deers (hangul of Kashmir stag and shou or Sikkim stag, musk deer);
 golden eagle, snow cocks, snow partridges; snow leopard, black and brown bears;
birds like Griffon vultures.

Eastern Himalayas
Flora: Oaks, magnolias, laurels and birches covered with moss and ferns; coniferous
forests of pine, fir, yew and junipers with an undergrowth of
scrubby rhododendrons and dwarf bamboos; lichens, mosses, orchids, and other
epiphytes dominant (due to high humidity and high rainfall).

Rhododendrons Species
Fauna: Red panda, hog badgers, forest badgers, crestless porcupines, takins etc.
Peninsular – Indian sub-region: It has two zones.

Peninsular India and its extension into the drainage basin of the Ganges river system.
Desert region of Rajasthan-the Thar of Indian desert region.
Peninsular India
It is home to tropical moist deciduous to tropical dry deciduous and scrub vegetation
depending upon the variation in rainfall and humidity.
 Flora: Sal in north and east extensions (higher rainfall) and teak in southern plateau
are dominant trees.
West Ghats have evergreen vegetation (flora and fauna similar to evergreen
rainforests of north eastern of India. In dry areas of Rajasthan and Aravalli hills, trees
are scattered, and thorny scrub species predominate. The forests give way to more
open savannah habit.
Fauna: Elephant, wild boar, deers (cheetal or axis deer), hog deer swamp deer or
barasinga, sambar, muntjak or barking deer, antelopes (four-horned antelope, Nilgiri,
blackbuck, chinkara gazelle), wild dog or dhole, tiger, leopard, cheetah, lion, wild pig,
monkey, striped hyena, jackal, gaur.
Indian desert
Thar desert of Rajasthan has unique flora and fauna.
Flora: Thorny trees with reduced leaves; cacti, other succulents are the main plants.
Fauna: Animals are mostly burrowing ones. Among mammals’ rodents are the
largest group.
The Indian desert gerbils are mouse-like, rodents, other animals are, Asiatic wild ass,
black buck, desert cat, caracal, red fox; reptiles (snakes, lizards and tortoise) well
represented.
Desert lizards include agamids and geckos. Among birds, the most discussed is Great
Indian Bustard.
Tropical rain forest region: Distributed in areas of Western Ghats and northeast India.

Flora: Extensive grasslands interspersed with densely forested gorges of evergreen

vegetation known as sholas occur in the Nilgiris (an offshoot of Western
Ghats). Sholas also occur in Annamalai and Palani hills.
The rain forests of the Western Ghats have dense and lofty trees with much species
diversity. Mosses, ferns, epiphytes, orchids, lianas and vines, herbs, shrubs make
diverse habitat. Ebony trees predominate in these forests.
Fauna: It is very rich with all kinds of animals. There are wild elephants, gaur and
other larger animals.
Most species are tree dwellers. The most prominent are hoolock gibbon (only ape
found in India), golden langur, capped langur or leaf monkey, Assam macaque and
the pig-tailed macaque, lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri langur slender loris, bats, giant
squirrel, civets, flying squirrels, Nilgiri mongoose, spiny mouse.
Andaman and Nicobar Islands
Flora: These are home for tropical rain forests. Mangroves are distributed in the
coastal areas.
Fauna: Among mammals, bats and rats; Andaman pig, crab-eating macaque, palm
civet and deers (spotted deer, barking deer, hog deer, sambar).
Among marine mammals, there are dugong, false killer whale, dolphin.
Among birds are rare one is Narcondum hornbill, white-bellied sea-eagle.
Salt-water crocodile, a number of marine turtles, coconut crab, lizards (the largest
being water monitor), 40 species of snakes including cobra, viper, voral and sea
snake, python, etc. are present.
Mangrove swamps of Sundarbans
Sunderbans are the delta of the Ganges where both the Brahmaputra and the Ganges
join and drain into the Bay of Bengal.
Flora: Various species of mangroves.
Fauna: In the higher regions of mangroves, there are spotted deer, pigs, monitor
lizard, monkeys. The most interesting animal of Sunderbans is the Royal Bengal
Tiger.

Biodiversity Hotspots: Biodiversity hotspots are regions with high species richness and
a high degree of endemism.

The British biologist Norman Myers coined the term “biodiversity hotspot” in 1988
as a biogeographic region characterized both by exceptional levels of plant
endemism and by serious levels of habitat loss.
Conservation International (CI) adopted Myers’ hotspots and in 1996, the
organization made the decision to undertake a reassessment of the hotspots concept.
According to CI, to qualify as a hotspot a region must meet two strict criteria:
1. It must contain at least 1,500 species of vascular plants (> 0.5% of the world’s total)
as endemics – which is to say, it must have a high percentage of plant life found
nowhere else on the planet. A hotspot, in other words, is irreplaceable.
2. It has to have lost at least 70% of its original habitat. (It must have 30% or less of its
original natural vegetation). In other words, it must be threatened.
3. In 1999, CI identified 25 biodiversity hotspots in the book “Hotspots: Earth’s
Biologically Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Ecoregions”.
 4. In 2005 CI published an updated titled “Hotspots Revisited: Earth’s Biologically
Richest and Most Endangered Terrestrial Eco-regions”.
5. The 35 biodiversity hotspots cover 2.3% of the Earth’s land surface, yet more than
50% of the world’s plant species and 42% of all terrestrial vertebrate species are
endemic to these areas.
6. In 2011, the Forests of East Australia region was identified as the 35th biodiversity
hotspot.

Biodiversity hotspots in India

Himalaya: Includes the entire Indian Himalayan region (and that falling in
Pakistan, Tibet, Nepal, Bhutan, China and Myanmar).
Indo-Burma: Includes entire North-eastern India, except Assam and Andaman
group of Islands (and Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia and southern
China).
Western Ghats and Sri Lanka: Includes entire Western Ghats (and Sri Lanka).
Sundalands: Includes Nicobar group of Islands (and Indonesia, Malaysia,
Singapore, Brunei, Philippines).
 Eastern Himalayas: which was originally part of the Indo-Burma Biodiversity
Hotspot and included Bhutan, north-eastern India and southern, central and eastern
Nepal. In 2004, a hotspot reappraisal classified the region as part of two
hotspots: Indo-Burma and the newly distinguished Himalaya.
The Himalaya Hotspot is home to important populations of numerous large birds and
mammals, including vultures, tigers, elephants, rhinos and wild water buffalo.
Indo-Burma holds remarkable endemism in freshwater turtle species, most of which
are threatened with extinction, due to over-harvesting and extensive habitat loss.
The spectacular flora and fauna of the Sundaland Hotspot are succumbing to the
explosive growth of industrial forestry in these islands and to the international
animal trade that claims tigers, monkeys, etc.
Faced with tremendous population pressure, the forests of the Western Ghats and Sri
Lanka have been dramatically impacted by the demands for timber and agricultural
land.
The region also houses important populations of Asian Elephants, Indian Tigers,
the Lion-tailed Macaque, Niligiri tahr, Indian Giant squirrel, etc.

World Heritage Sites

World Heritage Sites means “Sites any of various areas or objects inscribed on the
United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) World
Heritage List”.
 The sites are designated as having outstanding universal value under the Convention
concerning the Protection of the World Cultural and Natural Heritage.
This Convention, which was adopted by the UNESCO in 1972 (and enforced in 1975)
provides a framework for international cooperation in preserving and
protecting cultural treasures and natural areas throughout the world. The first list
of World Heritage state was published in 1978.

The convention defines the kind of sites which can be considered for inscription of the
World heritage list (ancient monuments, museums, biodiversity and geological
heritage,), and sets out the duties of the State Parties in identifying potential sites and
their role in protecting them.
“Natural heritage sites are restricted to those natural areas that
Furnish outstanding examples of the Earth’s record of life or its geologic processes.
Provide excellent examples of ongoing ecological and biological evolutionary
processes.
 Contain natural phenomena that are rare, unique, superlative, or of outstanding beauty
or furnish habitats or rare endangered animals or plants or are sites of exceptional
biodiversity”.
There are ten criteria for cultural heritage and natural heritage.
Nominated sites must be of “outstanding universal value” and meet at least one of the
criteria below.
International Year of Biodiversity
The United Nations declared 2010 to be the International Year of Biodiversity.
It is a celebration of life on earth and of the value of biodiversity for our lives.
Slogan “Biodiversity is variety of life on earth, Biodiversity is life and Biodiversity is
our life”.

Man and Biosphere Programme (MAB programme)

It was first started by UNESCO in 1971.

Later introduced in India in 1986.
Aim: Studying the effects of human interference and pollution on the biotic and abiotic
components of ecosystems. Conservation the ecosystems for the present as well as future.
The main objects of MAB programme are to:
Conserve representative samples of ecosystem.
Provide long term in situ conservation of genetic diversity.
Provide opportunities for education and training.
Provide appropriate sustainable managements of the living resources.
Promote infer national co-operation.