Biodiversity hotspots in India

What is Biodiversity?
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.
What is a Biodiversity Hot Spot?
A biodiversity hotspot is a biogeographic region with significant levels of biodiversity that is
threatened by human habitation.

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
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.

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

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. 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%)

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.

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

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 IndoChinese 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 SouthEast 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.
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.
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.
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 biogeographical 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 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.
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.

Reference/s
1. http://bioresource.eu/bioresources/
2. Balasubramanian, A.. (2017). Biodiversity Profile of India. 10.13140/RG.2.2.10664.57601.
Further reading:
1. G. Tripathi Bioresource Technology. CBS; 1st edition (30 May 2002).
2. N. Irabanta (Ed.) Singh Endemic Bioresources of India: Conservation and sustainable
development with special reference to North-East India. Bishen Singh Mahendra Pal Singh;
first Edition edition (2007).