The
Flora & Fauna of India
The concept of forest and wildlife conservation is very ancient to India.
Since time immemorial, wildlife here has enjoyed a privileged position of
protection through religious philosophy. India's flora and fauna are as
diverse as its cultural variances. The Indian subcontinent has many
fascinating sights for its nature lovers. Only around 10% of the country
still has forest cover, and only 4% is protected within national parks and
similar reserves. However, in the past few decades the government has taken
serious steps towards environmental management and has established numerous
parks, sanctuaries and reserves.
The melange of India's climate and topography is reflected in its rich
flora & fauna. India is world renown for its tigers, elephants and
rhinoceroses, but these are just three of the more than 500 species of
mammals harbouring in the country. India has for years captivated the
attentions of wildlife experts and lovers. The assortment of wildlife you
can see in India is truly mind-boggling, no where else you can find such a
fascinating variety and numbers it boasts of.
Home to many rare and unique species
- the majestic tiger, the Asiatic lion, the one horned rhinoceros, the wild
ass, the Asian elephant, many species of deer, bears, leopards, monkeys,
antelopes and birds - India's wildlife sanctuaries are a nature lover's
paradise.
It is exciting and exceptional to be in India and it is far more exciting
and entertaining to be in the Indian wildlife biosphere, mainly confined in
the Indian wildlife sanctuary or national park. Wildlife heritage of India
is as much or more diverse than the cultural heritage of this country. In
all India has 80 national parks and 441 sanctuaries, of which 19 fall under
the purview of Project Tiger. The total area of India's protected wilderness
is approximately 140,000 sq km. This contains 4 % of the country's total
land area. Not only are these vast patches of forests preserved as natural
habitats for wildlife, but are even more unique owing to the fact that they
vary from region to region and each has something unique, be it its flora,
fauna, avi-fauna or aqua-fauna. Many of the species harboured in these areas
are rare and endangered.
India is blessed with over 2,000 species of birds, over 500 species of
reptiles and amphibians and around 30,000 species of insects, including the
colorful butterflies. Conservation projects have been established to
preserve them.
Floras
In India
The wide range of climatic conditions helps India boasts of its rich
variety of vegetation that no other country in this world can boast of. The
vegetation comprises some 15,000 species of plants. According to the
distribution of the flora, India can be classified into, Western Himalayas,
Eastern Himalayas, Assam, Indus Plain, Ganga Plain, Deccan, Malabar and the
Andamans.
Indian flora fluctuates from the Western Himalayan and Assamese, from the
species of the Indus Plain to those of the gangetic plain, from the Deccan
and Malabari to the vegetation of the Andamans. The floral treasure ranges
from the Alpine to the temperate thorn, from the coniferous to the
evergreen, from scrubs to deciduous forests, from thick tropical jungles to
cool temperate woods.
The Western Himalayan biosphere is bouncy with Chirpine and other conifers
deodar, blue pine, spruce, silver fir, and junipers. The Eastern Himalayan
region consists of oaks, laurels, maples, rhododendrons, alder, and birch
and dwarf willows. The Assam region is full of evergreen forests with lots
of bamboo and tall grasses.
The Indus plain supports very scanty vegetation and the Ganges Plain is
under cultivation. The Deccan region is full of scrubs and mixed deciduous
forests. The Malabar region is under commercial crops like coconut, betel,
pepper, coffee and tea. Andaman region is plentiful in evergreen and
mangrove forests.
Faunas in India
Popular mammals include the Elephant, the famous white lions and some
common lions, the Royal Bengal Tiger, Rhinos, Wild Bisons some varieties
from the cat family, deer, monkeys, wild goats, etc. Elephants are found in
the sparsely populated hill areas of Karnataka, Kerala and Orissa.
A variety of deer and antelope species can be seen, but these are now
mostly confined to the protected areas because of competition with domestic
animals and the effects of their diseases. They include graceful Indian
gazelles (chinkaras); Indian antelopes (blackbucks); diminutive, four-homed
ante- lopes (chowsinghas); large and ungainly looking blue bulls (nilgais);
rare swamp deer (barasinghas); sambars, India's largest deer; beautiful
spotted deer (chitals); the larger barking deer (muntjacs); and the tiny
mouse deer (chevrotains). Also seen are wild buffaloes, massive Indian
bisons (gaurs), shaggy sloth bears, striped hyenas, wild pigs, jackals,
Indian foxes, wolves, and Indian wild dogs (dhole), which resembles giant
foxes but roam in packs in forests.
Lions are found in the rocky hills and forests of the Gir area of Gujarat,
Tigers in the Sunderbans and the Brahmaputra valley. The famous Project
Tiger is a scheme financed by the government of India to safeguard the tiger
in its habitat in nine selected reserves. Indian Fauna also include the wild
ass of Rajasthan, Nilgiri Langur, Lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri mongoose and
Malaber civer of the southern hills and the spotted deer. Leopards are found
in many forests, Wolves roam the open country. Cheetahs are found in the
Deccan plateau.
Avi-faunas In India
India is blessed with over 2000 species and sub-species of birds. The
diverse birdlife of the forests includes large hornbills, serpent eagles and
fishing owls, as well as the elegant national bird, the peacock. Waterbirds,
such as herons, ibises, storks, cranes, pelicans and others, are seen not
only in parks but at numerous special waterbird sanctuaries. These
sanctuaries contain large breeding colonies, and are of great importance for
the countless numbers of migrating birds which visit India annually.
Bird-Life in India is rich and colorful. The birds include the beautiful
Peacock to the Parrots, and thousands of immigrant birds. Other common
Indian birds are pheasants, geese ducks, mynahs, parakeets, pigeons, cranes,
and hornbills. India now maintains 80 national parks, 441 wildlife
sanctuaries and 35 zoological gardens.
Reptiles In India
Among the other wildlife are over 500 species of reptiles and amphibians,
including magnificent king cobras, pythons, crocodiles, large freshwater
tortoises and monitor lizards. There are also 10,000 insect species.
including large and colourful butlerflies.
A huge number of snake varieties, lizards and crocodiles account for the
reptile count. Snakes include the deadly King cobras to the equally
poisonous Kraits. Scorpions and insects are aplenty in this country. Disease
carrying mosquitoes and destructive locusts are to be found. Useful insects
include the bees, silkworms and the Lac insect.
