See discussions, stats, and author profiles for this publication at: https://www.researchgate.
net/publication/315661924
Biodiversity Profile of India
Technical Report · March 2017
DOI: 10.13140/RG.2.2.10664.57601
CITATIONS READS
13 34,034
1 author:
A. Balasubramanian
University of Mysore
372 PUBLICATIONS 734 CITATIONS
SEE PROFILE
Some of the authors of this publication are also working on these related projects:
PhD work - Work on Keralapura watersheds View project
Remote Sensing and GIS applications for water resources studies, Hydrogeochemistry, Groundwater modeling, Geochemical modeling and computer applications View
project
All content following this page was uploaded by A. Balasubramanian on 27 March 2017.
The user has requested enhancement of the downloaded file.
BIODIVERSITY PROFILE OF INDIA
By
Prof. A. Balasubramanian
Centre for Advanced Studies in Earth Science,
University of Mysore, Mysore
Introduction
The term Biodiversity refers to a variety and variability of all life present on earth. Biodiversity helps
human populations in several ways. A wide range of ecological, economic, social, cultural, educational,
scientific and aesthetic services are obtained through these living resources. Every country in the world
has its own profile of biodiversity.
India- a Species-rich nation:
India ranks among the top ten species-rich nations in the world. India has four global biodiversity hot
spots. They are the Eastern Himalaya, Indo-Burma region, the Western Ghats, and the Sundarbans. The
varied edaphic, climatic and topographic conditions and years of geological stability have resulted in a
wide range of ecosystems and habitats which include numerous forests, grasslands, wetlands, deserts, and
coastal and marine ecosystem. India has a geographic area of 329 mha. It is the seventh largest country in
the world. With this 2.4% of the world’s land area, India accounts for about 7-8% of recorded species of
the world.
India is one of the 17 Mega Biodiversity Nation in the world. From about 70 per cent of the total
geographical area surveyed by the Ministry of Environment and Forests in India, 45,500 plant species
(including fungi and lower plants) and 91,000 animal species, representing about seven percent of the
world's flora and 6.5 per cent of the world's fauna, respectively, have been described.
1
The Pride of India:
The Pride of India lies in its nearly 6,500 native plants which are still used in the indigenous healthcare
systems.
It is a country with rich biodiversity.
Today, India has
59,353 insect species,
2,546 fish species,
240 amphibian species,
460 reptile species,
1,232 bird species and
397 mammal species, of which 18.4 per cent are endemic and 10.8 per cent are threatened.
India is the home to at least 18,664 species of vascular plants, of which 26.8 per cent are endemic.
With only 2.4 per cent of the total land area of the world, the known biological diversity of India
contributes to about 8 per cent to the known global biological diversity.
It has been estimated that at least 10 per cent of the country's recorded wild flora, and ten percent of its
wild fauna, are on the threatened list. It is also heartening to note that many of them are on the verge of
extinction.
Biodiversity Hot Spots:
India has two very good biodiversity hot spots.
They are the :
1. The Eastern Himalayas and
2. The Western Ghats.
Biogeographic Zones in India:
India is a country with very typical geology, terrain conditions, topography, land use, geographic and
climatic factors. Based on these factors, the country can be divided into ten recognizable biogeographic
zones.
1. Trans-Himalayan Region
2. Himalayan Zone
3. Indian Desert Zone
4. Semi-arid Region
5. Western Ghats
6. Deccan Plateau
7. Gangetic Planis
8. Coastal Regions
2
9. North-East Region
10. Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
These zones encompass a variety of ecosystems - mountains, plateaus, rivers, forests, deserts, wetlands,
lakes, mangroves, coral reefs, coasts and islands.
1. Trans-Himalayan Region
Trans-Himalayan Region covers about 5.6 per cent of the total geographical area. It includes the high
altitude, cold and arid mountain areas of Ladakh, Jammu & Kashmir, North Sikkim, Lahaul and Spiti
areas of Himachal Pradesh.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
1A: Himalaya - Ladakh Mountains (3.3 %)
1B: Himalaya -Tibetan Plateau (2.2%)
1C: Trans - Himalaya Sikkim ( <0.1 %).
This zone has sparse alpine steppe vegetation that harbours several endemic species. It is a favourable
habitat for the biggest populations of wild sheep and goat in the world. The other rare fauna includes
Snow Leopard (Uncia uncia) and the migratory Blacknecked Crane (Grus nigricollis). The cold dry desert
of this zone represents an extremely fragile ecosystem.
2. The Himalayan Zone :
Himalayan Zone, in the far North is another biogeographic zone. It covers about 6.4 per cent of the total
geographical area in India. It includes some of the highest peaks in the world. This zone makes India as
one of the richest areas in terms of habitats and species. The steep slopes, unconsolidated soils and intense
rainfall render the zone extremely fragile.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
2A: Himalaya - North West Himalaya (2.1%)
2B: Himalaya - West Himalaya (1.6%)
2C: Himalaya - Central Himalaya (0.2%)
2D: Himalaya - East Himalaya (2.5%)
3. The Alpine and sub-alpine forests:
The Alpine and sub-alpine forests, grassy meadows and moist mixed deciduous forests provide diverse
habitat for endangered species of bovids such as
Bharal (Pseudois nayaur), Ibex (Capra ibex), Markhor (Capra falconeri), Tahr (Hemitragus jemlabicus),
and Takin (Budoreas taxicolor).
Other rare and endangered species restricted to this zone include Hangul (Cervus eldi eldi) and Musk
Deer (Moschus moschiferus) .
3
3. The Indian Desert Zone is another important biodiversity zone. It covers about 6.6 per cent of the total
geographical area. It includes the Thar and the Kutch deserts.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
3A: Desert – Thar (5.4%)
3B: Desert – Katchchh (1.1%).
It has large expanses of grassland that supports several endangered species of mammals such as
Wolf (Canis lupus), Caracal (Felis caracal), Desert Cat (Felis libyca) and birds of conservation interest
viz., Houbara Bustard (Chamydotis undulate) and the Great Indian Bustard (Ardeotis nigriceps).
4. The Semi-arid biodiversity Region in India covers about 16.6 per cent of the total geographical area.
It is a transition zone between the desert and the dense forests of Western Ghats.
Peninsular India has two large regions, which are climatically semi-arid. This semi-arid region also has
several artificial and natural lakes and marshy lands.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
4A: Semi - Arid - Punjab Plains (3.7%)
4B: Semi - Arid - Gujarat Rajputana (12.9%).
The dominant grass and palatable shrub layer in this zone supports the highest wildlife biomass.
The cervid species of Sambar (Cervus unicolor) and Chital (Axis axis) are restricted to the better wooded
hills and moister valley areas respectively.
The Lion (Leo persica) which is one of the endangered carnivore species is restricted to a small area in
Gujarat. The Caracal (Felis caracal), Jackal (Canis aureus) and Wolf (Canis lupus) are some of the
endangered species that are characteristic of this region.
5. The Western Ghats in India is a major biodiversity zone. It covers about 4.0 per cent of the total
geographical area. It is one of the major tropical evergreen forest regions in India.
The zone stretches from the hills to the South of the Tapti River in the North to Kanyakumari in the
South. In the West, this zone is bound by the coast.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
5A: Western Ghats - Malabar Plains( 2.0%)
5B: Western Ghats -Western Ghats Mountains (2.0%).
4
This zone represents one of the biodiversity 'hot spots' with some 15,000 species of higher plants, of
which 4,000 (27 per cent) are endemic to the region.
The Western Ghats harbour viable populations of most of the vertebrate species found in peninsular India,
besides an endemic faunal element of its own.
Significant species endemic to this region include
Nilgiri Langur (Presbytis jobni),
Lion Tailed Macaque (Macaca silenus),
Grizzled Giant Squirrel (Ratufa macroura),
Malabar Civet (Viverricula megaspila),
Nilgiri Tahr (Hemitragus bylocrius) and
Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocycerous griseus).
The Travancore Tortoise (Indotestudo forstem) and Cane turtle (Heosemys silvatica) are two endangered
taxa restricted to a small area in central Western Ghats.
6. The Deccan Plateau is another major biodiversity zone in India. It covers about 42 per cent of the
total geographical area. It is a semi-arid region that falls in the rain shadow area of the Western Ghats.
This bio-geographic zone of peninsular India is by far the most extensive zone. These include India's
finest forests, particularly in the States of Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Orissa.
Majority of the forests are deciduous in nature with regions of greater biological diversity in the hill
ranges.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
6A: Deccan Peninsular - Central Highlands (7.3%)
6B: Deccan Peninsular - Chotta Nagpur (5.4%)
6C: Deccan Peninsular - Eastern Highlands (6.3%)
6D: Deccan Peninsular - Central Plateau (12.5%)
6E: Deccan Peninsular - Deccan South (10.4%).
It consists of deciduous forests, thorn forests and degraded scrubland, all of which support diverse
wildlife species.
Species such as
Chital (Axis axis),
Sambar(Cervus unicolor),
Nilgai (Boselapbus tragocamelus) and
Chousingha (Tetracerus quadricornis) are abundant in this zone.
5
Some other species like
Barking deer (Muntiacus muntjak) and
Gaur (Antilope cervicapra) are more frequent in, or are restricted to moister areas. They are still found in
fairly large numbers.
Species with small populations include the
Elephant (Elephasmaximus) in Bihar-Orissa and Karnataka-Tamil Nadu belts,
Wild Buffalo (Bubalus bubalis) in a small area at the junction of Orissa, Madhya Pradesh and
Maharashtra and the hard ground Swamp Deer (Cervus duvauceli), now restricted to a single locality in
Madhya Pradesh.
7. The next important biodiversity zone is the Gangetic Plain. It covers about 10.8 per cent of the total
geographical area in India. It is a flat alluvial region lying to the North and South of the Ganga River and
its major tributaries and in the foothills of the Himalayas.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
7A: Gangetic Plain - Upper Gangetic Plains (6.3%)
7B: Gangetic Plain - Lower Gangetic Plains (4.5%).
The Gangetic plain is topographically homogenous for hundreds of kilometers. The characterisic fauna of
this region include Rhino (Rhinoceros unicornis), Elephant (Elephas maximus), Buffalo Bubalus
bubalis), Swamp Deer (Cervus duvauceli), Hog-Deer (Axis porcinus) and Hispid Hare (Carprolagus
bispidus).
8. India has an extensive coastal belts. These constitute about 2.5 per cent of the total geographical area.
This belt includes very vast sandy beaches, mangroves, mud flats, coral reefs and marine angiosperm
pastures. The coastal regions are also considered as the wealth and health zones of India.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
8A: Coasts - West Coast (0.6%)
8B: Coasts - East Coast (1.9%)
8C: Coasts – Lakshdweep(<0.1%).
The coastline from Gujarat to Sunderbans is estimated to be 5,423 km long. A total of 25 islets constitute
the Lakshadweep, which are of coral origin. They have a typical reef lagoon system, rich in biodiversity.
6
9. The North-East Region is another biodiversity zone. It covers about 5.2 per cent of the total
geographical area, in India. It represents the transition zone between the Indian, Indo-Malayan and Indo-
Chinese bio-geographical regions as well as being a meeting point of the Himalayan mountains and
peninsular India.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
9A: North - East - Brahamputra Valley (2.0%)
9B: North - East – North East Hills (3.2%).
The North-East is thus the biogeographical 'gateway' for much of India's fauna and flora. It is a major
biodiversity hotspot. A diverse set of habitats coupled with long term geological stability has allowed the
development of significant levels of endemism in all animal and plant groups.
10. The Andaman and Nicobar Islands are very unique biodiversity zones. They constituting about 0.3
per cent of the total geographical area. They are one of the three tropical moist evergreen forests zones in
India. The islands house an array of flora and fauna which are not found elsewhere.
The Biogeographic Provinces are:
10A: Islands – Andamans (0.2%)
10B: Islands – Nicobars (0.1%).
The North-South elongated groups of 348 Andaman Islands have a close biogeographical affinity with
Myanmar.
The Nicobar Islands, lying only 90 kms away from Sumatra have much stronger Indonesian and South-
East Asian elements. These islands are centres of high endemism. They contain some of India's finest
evergreen forests. They support a wide diversity of corals.
In India, Wetlands occur in various geographical regions such as the cold arid zones of Ladakh, warm
arid zones of Rajasthan, tropical monsoonic Central India, North Eastern region, South peninsular region
and the coastal wetlands. India has two identified biodiversity hot spots. These are the Eastern Himalayas
and the Western Ghats.
Eastern Himalaya is another biodiversity hot spot. Phyto-geographically, the Eastern Himalaya forms a
distinct floral region and comprises of Nepal, Bhutan, states of East and North-East India, and a
contiguous sector of Yunnan province in South-Western China.
7
In the whole of Eastern Himalaya, there are an estimated 9,000 plant species, out of which 3,500 (i.e. 39
per cent) are endemic. In the Indian portion, there occurs some 5,800 plant species, roughly 2,000 (i.e. 36
per cent) of which are endemic. At least 55 flowering plants endemic to this area are recognized as rare,
for example, the Pitcher Plant (Nepenthes khasiana).
The area has long been recognised as a rich centre of primitive flowering plants and is popularly known
as the 'Çradle of Speciation'.
Species of several families of monocotyledons, Orchidaceae, Zingiberaceae and Arecaceae are found in
the area.
Gymnorperms and Pteridophytes (ferns) are also well represented in this zone.
The Eastern Himalaya is also rich in wild relatives of plants of economic significance. These include rice,
banana, citrus, ginger, chilli, jute and sugarcane.
It is also regarded as the centre of origin and diversification of five palms of commercial importance,
namely coconut,
arecanut,
palmyra palm,
sugar palm and
the wild date palm.
Tea (Thea sinensis) has been cultivated in this region for the last 4,000 years.
Many wild and allied species of tea, the leaves of which are used as a substitute for tea, are found in the
North East, in their natural habitats.
The Taxol plant (Taxus wallichiana) is sparsely distributed in the region. It is listed under the red data
category due to its overexploitation for extraction of a drug effectively used against cancer.
As regards faunal diversity, 63 per cent of the genera of land mammals in India are found in this region.
During the last four decades, two new mammals have been discovered from the region. They are the
Golden Langur from Assam-Bhutan region, and
Namdapha Flying Squirrel from Arunachal Pradesh, indicating the species richness of the region.
8
The region is also a rich centre of avian diversity. It contains more than 60 per cent of the bird species
found in India. This region also hosts two endemic genera of lizards, and 35 endemic reptilian species,
including two turtles.
Of the 240 Indian amphibian species, in India, at least 68 species are known to occur in the North East, 20
of which are endemic.
From Namdapha National Park itself, a new genus of mammal, a new subspecies of a bird, six new
amphibians species, four new species of fish, at least 15 new species of beetles and six new species of
flies have been discovered.
The Western Ghats is another major Biodiversity Zone in Inida.
The Western Ghats region is considered to be one of the most important bio-geographic zones of India, as
it is one of the richest centres of endemism. Due to varied topography and microclimatic regimes, some
areas within the region are considered to be active zones of speciation.
The region has 490 arborescent taxa, of which as many as 308 are endemic.
About 1,500 endemic species of dicotyledonous plants are reported from the Western Ghats. 245 species
of orchids belonging to 75 genera are found here, of which 112 species in ten genera are endemic to the
region.
As regards the fauna, as many as 315 species of vertebrates belonging to 22 genera are endemic,
including 12 species of mammals, 13 species of birds, 89 species of reptiles, 87 species of amphibians
and 104 species of fish. The extent of endemism is high amongst amphibian and reptile species.
There occur 117 species of amphibians in the region, of which 89 species (76 per cent) are endemic. Of
the 165 species of reptiles found in Western Ghats, 88 species are endemic.
Many of the endemic and other species are listed as threatened. Nearly 235 species of endemic flowering
plants are considered endangered. Rare fauna of the region include - Lion Tailed Macaque, Nilgiri
Langur, Nilgiri Tahr, Flying Squirrel, and Malabar Gray Hornbill.
Taking into consideration the three different kinds of priority setting concepts across the globe:
the megadiversity country, threatened biodiversity hotspots, and major tropical wilderness areas, India is
one of the recognized megadiverse countries of the world.
Comparative account of India’s position on species diversity shows that it is well placed in several groups
as shown below:
9
The Comparative position of species biodiversity in India is as follows:
Group Estimated number Rank amongst
of species Megadiverse
countries
Higher plants 18664 IX
Mammals 390 VII
Birds 458 IX
Reptiles 521 V
Amphibian 231 IX
Fishes 5749 I
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 also has 23.39% of its geographical area under forest and tree cover.
Of the 34 globally identified biodiversity hotspots, India harbours four hotspots,
i.e., Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats and Sri Lanka and Sundaland. Sundaland is a bio-
geographical region of Southeastern Asia which encompasses the Sunda shelf, the part of the Asian
continental shelf that was exposed during the last Ice Age.
The main attributes of these hotspots are given below:
S. No. Attributes Hotspots
Himalaya Indo-Burma W. Ghats &Sri Sundaland
Lanka
1. Hotspot original extent (km2) 741,706 2,373,057 189,611 1501,063
2. Hotspot vegetation remaining 185,427 118,653 43,611 10,0571
(km2)
3. Endemic plant species 3,160 7000 3,049 15,000
4. Endemic threatened birds 8 18 10 43
5. Endemic threatened mammals 4 25 14 60
6.. Endemic threatened amphibians 4 35 87 59
7. Extinct species* 0 1 20 4
8. Human population density 123 134 261 153
(people/km2)
9. Area protected (km2) 112,578 235,758 26,130 179,723
10. Area protected (km2) in 77,739 132,283 21,259 77,408
categories I-IV**
The mountainous region covers an area close to 100 mha, arid and semi-arid zones are spread over 30
mha and the coastline is about 8000 km long.
India represents: (i) Two ‘Realms’- the Himalayan region represented by Palearctic Realm and the rest of
the sub-continent represented by Malayan Realm; (ii) Five Biomes e.g. Tropical Humid Forests; Tropical
Dry Deciduous Forests (including Monsoon Forests); Warm Deserts and Semi-deserts; Coniferous
Forests; Alpine Meadows; and (iii) Ten biogeographic zones and Twenty-seven biogeographic provinces.
10
Inventories of faunal diversity in India are being progressively updated and analyzed with several new
discoveries. So far, nearly 91,212 of faunal species (7.43% of the world’s faunal species) have been
recorded in the country.
Endemic rich Indian fauna is manifested most prominently in Amphibia (61.2%) and Reptilia (47%).
Likewise, Indian fish fauna includes two endemic families and 127 monotypic genera.
As per the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Red List (2008), India has 413
globally threatened faunal species, which is approximately 4.9% of the world’s total number of threatened
faunal species.
Continuous surveys and explorations have added new discoveries – 41 plant species in 2007 by Botanical
Survey of India (BSI) alone.
The unique features of the plant diversity, among others, include 60 monotypic families and over 6000
endemic species. Recent estimates indicate the presence of over 256 globally threatened plant species in
India.
11
View publication stats
