Indian Biodiversity
India is recognized as one of the megadiverse countries in the world, rich in both biological diversity and traditional knowledge. Although it occupies only 2.4% of the world’s land area, it is home to nearly 7% of all recorded species and supports around 18% of the global human population.
When it comes to species richness, India holds:
- 7th rank in mammals
- 9th rank in birds
- 5th rank in reptiles
This richness can be attributed to the country’s diverse ecological conditions. The Edaphic (soil-related), Climatic, and Topographic variations across the country give rise to a wide array of ecosystems and habitats such as forests, grasslands, wetlands, coastal and marine systems, and deserts.
India Represents
India’s biodiversity can be studied under the following categories:
a) Realms
A biogeographic realm is a large geographical region with broadly similar flora and fauna. It covers a continent or subcontinent with unifying ecological features.
India belongs to two realms:
- Palearctic Realm – covering the Himalayan region
- Malayan Realm – covering the rest of the Indian subcontinent
Globally, eight terrestrial biogeographic realms are recognized:
- Nearctic Realm
- Palearctic Realm
- Afrotropical Realm
- Indo-Malayan Realm
- Oceania Realm
- Australian Realm
- Antarctic Realm
- Neotropical Realm
b) Biomes of India
A biome is a major ecological community defined by its dominant plants, animals, and climate. These communities are shaped by natural environmental conditions like temperature and rainfall.
The five major biomes of India are:
- Tropical Humid Forests
- Tropical Dry or Deciduous Forests (including Monsoon Forests)
- Warm Deserts and Semi-Deserts
- Coniferous Forests
- Alpine Meadows
c) Bio-geographic Zones of India
India is divided into 10 biogeographic zones, which are clearly distinguished by their flora, fauna, and geography:
- Trans-Himalayas: High-altitude cold deserts in Ladakh (J&K) and Lahaul-Spiti (HP). Covers 5.7% of land.
- Himalayas: A vast mountain chain with diverse ecological zones. Covers 7.2% of land.
- Desert: Arid zones west of the Aravalli hills, includes Thar Desert and Kutch. Covers 6.9% of land.
- Semi-Arid: Transitional zone between the desert and Deccan Plateau. Covers 15.6% of land.
- Western Ghats: Ecologically rich range south of the Tapti River. Covers 5.8% of land.
- Deccan Peninsula: The largest zone with mostly deciduous vegetation. Covers 43% of land.
- Gangetic Plain: Riverine plains of the Ganga River System, relatively uniform. Covers 11% of land.
- Northeast India: Non-Himalayan hill ranges and plains, extremely rich in vegetation. Covers 5.2% of land.
- Islands: The Andaman and Nicobar Islands in the Bay of Bengal. Covers 0.03% of land.
- Coasts: Extensive coastline including Lakshadweep Islands, with ecological differences between east and west coasts.
d) Bio-geographic Provinces
A bio-geographic province is a smaller ecological subdivision within a biogeographic realm.
- India has 25 bio-geographic provinces, as classified by Rodgers and Panwar (1988).
- This classification was based on factors like altitude, topography, rainfall, temperature, and moisture.
- These zones helped formulate strategies for wildlife protection and ecosystem conservation.
