Biodiversity and Conservation: India’s Panoramic View
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3.1 Variety of Floral and Faunal Species
India covers nearly 2.4% of the global geographical area and is a home to 8% of the
faunal and floral species known globally. The Zoological and Botanical Survey of
India has played a key role in discovery of new species and has reported the current
estimates of faunal and floral species to be 1,00,693 and 48,655 respectively (NR6
2018). India’s plant and animal species constitute around 11.2% of global floral and
nearly 6.7% of the faunal species in the world. Furthermore, to its rich variety in
species India takes pride in its escalating rates of endemism: 28.2% floral and 28.7%
faunal endemic species. India has gathered immense traditional knowledge through
continuous exploration of biological resources. As per the MOEFCC (Ministry of
Environment Forest and Climate Change) globally, India ranks 10th in birds in the
group of endemic vertebrate group, 5th in reptiles and 7th in amphibians.
3.2 Terrestrial Ecosystems
India ranks 10th in the world with 24.4% of its land area under forests (ISFR 2017)
and ranks 8th globally in its net gain from forests (FAO and UNICEF 2017). Moreover most of the increase in the forest cover is in the category of very dense forests
which absorb carbon dioxide, thereby increasing the carbon stock of the forests by
38 million tonnes as compared to previous years. India has been recognized among
12 mangrove-rich countries in the world possessing a mangrove cover of 4921 km
2
which accounts for 2% of the total global area under mangrove. India comprises of
16 forest types of which 38.2% are tropical dry deciduous forests and 30.3% are
tropical moist deciduous forests. India’s National Forest Policy focuses on reforestation of deteriorated forests, promotion of conservation reserves to be monitored
by the community outside the protected areas, enhancement of the economy services of the ecosystem, combating climate change and creating awareness among
the stakeholders at all levels (FLR). Forest landscape restoration aims to restore
functional ecological systems and enhancing the quality of life across deforested
landscapes. The prime focus of the FLR is to meet India’s commitment to Bonn
Challenge Pledge. India has also initiated the Restoration Opportunities Assessment
Methodology (ROAM) which has been developed by IUCN in collaboration with
World Resources Institute (WRI), in the Himalayan state, Uttarakhand. The Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972, has promoted afforestation and the number of protected
areas (PAs) have increased from 690 to 770 and the geographical area covered under
these protected areas has also increased from 16,685 to 1,62,098.57 km
2 from the
period of 2014 to 2017 (NR6 2018) making 4.9% of India’s geographical area to
fall under the category of protected areas (PAs) which include wildlife sanctuaries
(544), national parks (104), conservation reserves (77) and community reserves (46)
respectively. The wildlife protected areas promote conservation of threatened faunal
species: tiger reserves (39) and elephant reserves (28) respectively. Six of India’s
315
3.1 Variety of Floral and Faunal Species
India covers nearly 2.4% of the global geographical area and is a home to 8% of the
faunal and floral species known globally. The Zoological and Botanical Survey of
India has played a key role in discovery of new species and has reported the current
estimates of faunal and floral species to be 1,00,693 and 48,655 respectively (NR6
2018). India’s plant and animal species constitute around 11.2% of global floral and
nearly 6.7% of the faunal species in the world. Furthermore, to its rich variety in
species India takes pride in its escalating rates of endemism: 28.2% floral and 28.7%
faunal endemic species. India has gathered immense traditional knowledge through
continuous exploration of biological resources. As per the MOEFCC (Ministry of
Environment Forest and Climate Change) globally, India ranks 10th in birds in the
group of endemic vertebrate group, 5th in reptiles and 7th in amphibians.
3.2 Terrestrial Ecosystems
India ranks 10th in the world with 24.4% of its land area under forests (ISFR 2017)
and ranks 8th globally in its net gain from forests (FAO and UNICEF 2017). Moreover most of the increase in the forest cover is in the category of very dense forests
which absorb carbon dioxide, thereby increasing the carbon stock of the forests by
38 million tonnes as compared to previous years. India has been recognized among
12 mangrove-rich countries in the world possessing a mangrove cover of 4921 km
2
which accounts for 2% of the total global area under mangrove. India comprises of
16 forest types of which 38.2% are tropical dry deciduous forests and 30.3% are
tropical moist deciduous forests. India’s National Forest Policy focuses on reforestation of deteriorated forests, promotion of conservation reserves to be monitored
by the community outside the protected areas, enhancement of the economy services of the ecosystem, combating climate change and creating awareness among
the stakeholders at all levels (FLR). Forest landscape restoration aims to restore
functional ecological systems and enhancing the quality of life across deforested
landscapes. The prime focus of the FLR is to meet India’s commitment to Bonn
Challenge Pledge. India has also initiated the Restoration Opportunities Assessment
Methodology (ROAM) which has been developed by IUCN in collaboration with
World Resources Institute (WRI), in the Himalayan state, Uttarakhand. The Wildlife
(Protection) Act, 1972, has promoted afforestation and the number of protected
areas (PAs) have increased from 690 to 770 and the geographical area covered under
these protected areas has also increased from 16,685 to 1,62,098.57 km
2 from the
period of 2014 to 2017 (NR6 2018) making 4.9% of India’s geographical area to
fall under the category of protected areas (PAs) which include wildlife sanctuaries
(544), national parks (104), conservation reserves (77) and community reserves (46)
respectively. The wildlife protected areas promote conservation of threatened faunal
species: tiger reserves (39) and elephant reserves (28) respectively. Six of India’s