India has become the first country in the world to prepare a comprehensive checklist of its entire fauna, covering 104,561 species, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav announced on Saturday. He was speaking at the Animal Taxonomy Summit-2024 organized by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI).
Yadav also launched the Fauna of India Checklist Portal on the occasion of the 109th Foundation Day of the ZSI in Kolkata. He emphasized that India is a global leader in biodiversity conservation, highlighting that the country’s tradition, ethos, and values respect nature and promote biodiversity conservation.
“India has become the first country in the world to prepare a checklist of its entire fauna, covering 104,561 species, positioning itself as a global leader in biodiversity documentation,” Yadav stated. The Fauna of India Checklist Portal is the first comprehensive document detailing the faunal species reported from India.
“The faunal checklist will be an invaluable reference for taxonomists, researchers, academicians, conservation managers, and policymakers. It comprises 121 checklists of all known taxa covering 36 phyla. Endemic, threatened, and scheduled species have also been included in the list,” he added.
The minister highlighted the PM’s Mission LIFE, which promotes sustainable consumption and conservation. He stressed the concept of a recycling economy, stating, “Whatever we take from nature, efforts should be made to return it back in a pristine, pure form.”
Yadav also underscored government initiatives like the International Big Cat Alliance to preserve biodiversity and species, citing the relocation of cheetahs to India as a successful project.
Inaugurating the Animal Taxonomy Summit-2024 organized by ZSI, Yadav congratulated the ZSI for 109 years dedicated to the service of India’s faunal biodiversity. The Animal Taxonomy Summit-2024 is the second summit organized by ZSI, featuring deliberations under three broad themes: 1) Taxonomy, Systematics, and Evolution, 2) Ecology and Animal Behavior, and 3) Biodiversity and Conservation. The summit includes 350 delegates from four countries, including participants from the Natural History Museum, London.
The three-day summit will feature 21 plenary and lead lectures by eminent speakers and experts from India and abroad, along with 142 oral and poster presentations. The summit will conclude on July 3, 2024, with recommendations to be conveyed to the Government of India for biodiversity conservation.
During the program, participants listened to Prime Minister Modi’s “Mann Ki Baat.” Yadav also released several iconic publications from ZSI, including ‘Animal Discoveries-2023’ featuring 641 new animal species and records from India, and ‘Plant Discoveries-2023’ from the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) featuring 339 new plant species and records. Other significant publications released include ‘Fauna of India-109 barcodes,’ ‘Catalogue of Hoverflies,’ ‘Catalogue of Muscidae,’ and the ‘Flora of India Series.’ Additionally, the first-ever ‘Barcode Atlas of Indian Fishes,’ a joint publication by ICAR-NBFGR, Lucknow & ZSI, Kolkata, and ‘ROAR – Celebrating 50 years of Project Tiger’ by Shiladitya Chaudhury & Ketan Sengupta were also released.
Director General of Forests and Special Secretary, MoEFCC, Jitendra Kumar, launched the ‘International Society of Zoology (ISZ)’ to enhance the global understanding and protection of biodiversity. ZSI also exchanged 10 MoUs with universities and colleges (including Vidyasagar University, Berhampur University, Madurai Kamraj University, Himalayan University, Ferguson College, and Kongunadu Arts & Science College) and national institutes (ICAR-NBFGR, ICAR-NBAIR, ICAR-CIFA, BITS Pilani) for better coordination and benefits to the masses.
ZSI Director Dhriti Banerjee delivered the welcome address at the event, attended by officials, scientists, and researchers from ZSI and BSI, as well as vice-chancellors from several universities and institutions from India and overseas. The program concluded w—3e a cultural performance.