Wildlife in India is made up of a variety of plants (flora) and animals (fauna) that coexist in a geographical area to form a chain of life. Nearly 7-8% of all plant and animal species are found in India. India has approximately 18500 taxa of flowering plants. The Indian Forest Act of 1927 aided in the protection and security of natural habitats. Many ecoregions, such as shola forests, have extremely high rates of endemism; 33% of Indian plant species are endemic. Forest cover flora and vegetation range from tropical rainforest in the Andaman Islands, Western Ghats, and Northeast India to coniferous forest in the Himalaya. In this article, we will discuss the Wildlife of India which will be helpful for UPSC exam preparation.

Indian Fauna

• Indian wildlife includes approximately 410 mammal species, nearly 1301 bird species, and 30,000 insect species.
• According to census estimates, India is home to a diverse range of animals, amphibians, reptiles, and fishes.
• Lions, elephants, rhinoceros, wild bison, deer, monkeys, and wild goats are among the mammals found in India.
• India's national animal is the Royal Bengal tiger.
• Reptiles include a wide variety of lizards, snakes, and crocodiles.
• India's national bird is the peacock.
• Common Indian birds include geese ducks, mynas, pigeons, cranes, pheasants, parakeets, and hornbills.

Himalayan Mountain System - Wildlife

• The Himalayas, also known as the Himalaya, are a mountain range in Asia that divides the Tibetan Plateau from the plains of the Indian subcontinent.
• The Himalayas border or traverse five nations: China, Pakistan, India, Nepal, and Bhutan.
• The Himalayan range is bounded on the northwest by the Karakoram and Hindu Kush mountains, on the north by the Tibetan Plateau, and on the south by the Indo-Gangetic Plain.
• Both the flora and fauna of the Himalayas are distinct.
  • Himalayan foothills
    • Flora: Natural monsoon evergreen and semi-evergreen forests; dominant species are sal, silk-cotton trees, and giant bamboos; tall grassy meadow with savannahs in tarai.
    • Western Himalayas (High altitude region)
    • Flora: Natural monsoon evergreen and semi-evergreen forests; rhododendrons; dwarf hill bamboo and birch forests mixed with alpine pastures.
  • Eastern Himalayas
    • Flora: Oaks, magnolias, laurels, and birches covered in moss and ferns; coniferous forests of pine, fir, yew, and junipers with undergrowth of scrubby rhododendrons and dwarf bamboos; lichens, moses, orchids, and other epiphytes dominate (due to high humidity and high rainfall).

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Himalayan Mountain System

Peninsular Region - Wildlife

• It is divided into two zones.
  • Peninsular India and its extension into the Ganges river system's drainage basin, and
  • Rajasthan's desert region—the Thar of Indian desert region.

• Peninsular India
  • Depending on the rainfall and humidity, it is home to tropical moist deciduous, tropical dry deciduous, and scrub vegetation.
  • Flora: The dominant trees are sal in the north and east extensions (where there is more rainfall) and teak in the southern plateau.
  • The West Ghats have evergreen vegetation (flora and fauna similar to those found in India's north-eastern rainforests).
• Indian desert
  • Flora: The subregion's desert includes dry tropical, dry mixed deciduous, thorn forests, scrub forests, and dry Savanna forests.
  • The desert trees have thorns and a small leaf surface. Cacti and succulents are the plant species found in the desert.
  • Some plants have evolved special root systems, while others have distinct leaf characteristics that allow them to survive long periods of drought.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Indian Peninsular Sub-Region

Tropical Rainforest Region - Wildlife

• It is found in the western ghats and north-eastern India.
• Flora: The Nilgiris have extensive grasslands interspersed with densely forested gorges of evergreen vegetation known as sholas (an offshoot of Western ghats). Sholas are also found in the Aanaimalai and Palani hills.
• The Western Ghats rain forests are dense and lofty, with a wide range of species.
• Mosses, ferns, epiphytes, orchids, lianas and vines, herbs, and shrubs create a diverse habitat. In these forests, ebony trees predominate.
• Fauna: Macaque, Assamese Macaque, slow Loris, capped Langurs, pig-tailed Macaque, stump-tailed Macaque, and Hoolock Gibbons.
• Elephants, gaurs, and other large animals find refuge in the Indian tropical rain forests.
• Aside from tigers, other animals found in these mangrove forests include spotted deer, pigs, rhesus monkeys, lizards, water monitors, crocodiles, crabs, and fish.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Wildlife of Tropical Rainforest Region

Andaman and Nicobar Islands - Wildlife

• Tropical rain forests call these places home. The dominant species are giant Dipterocarpus, Terminalia, and Lagerstroemia.
• Mangroves can also be found along the coast.
• The tropical rainforest canopy of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands is made up of components from Indian, Myanmar, Malaysian, and unique floral strains.
• The Narcondam hornbill, Nicobar megapode (a ground-nesting bird), Nicobar treeshrew (a tiny mole-like mammal), Long-tailed Nicobar monkey, and the Andaman day gecko are all endemic faunal species found solely on the A&N Islands and nowhere else.
• The IUCN (International Union for Conservation of Nature) Red List of Threatened Species classifies the Dugong (sea cow) and the Indo-Pacific humpback dolphin as Vulnerable among the marine fauna present on the islands.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Wildlife of Andaman and Nicobar Islands

Mangrove Swamps of Sunderbans - Wildlife

• The Sunderbans are a Ganges delta where the Brahmaputra and Ganges rivers meet and flow into the Bay of Bengal.
• The vegetation is primarily of the mangrove variety and includes a wide range of plants such as trees, shrubs, grasses, epiphytes, and lianas.
• Because they are mostly evergreen, they have similar physiological and structural adaptations. For aerial respiration, most trees have pneumatophores.
• Sundari and Gewa are the most prominent species.
• The Sundarbans are home to 58 mammal species, 55 reptile species, and approximately 248 bird species, as well as a human population of 12 million in the greater Sundarbans region.
• It is the Bengal Tiger's last stronghold.
• Other notable mammals include the Spotted deer, Barking deer, Rhesus macaque, Jungle cat, Leopard cat, Indian porcupine, Otter, and wild boar.

*For detailed notes of this topic, check this link Wildlife of Mangrove swamps of Sunderbans

Conservation of Flora and Fauna

The government has taken numerous initiatives to conserve wildlife and protect flora and fauna. Among the initiatives programmes are:

• The government has established 18 biosphere reserves to protect flora and fauna.
• Ten of these 18 biosphere reserves have been included in the world's network of biosphere reserves, including the Sundarbans in West Bengal, Nanda Devi in Uttarakhand, the Gulf of Mannar in Tamil Nadu, and the Nilgiris (Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu).
• Since 1992, the government has provided full support to many Botanical Gardens by providing financial and technical assistance.
• The government has launched numerous eco-development projects to protect Flora and Fauna, including Project Tiger, Project Rhinos, and Project Great Indian Bustard.
• India enacted the Wild Protection Act in 1972.
• To protect the natural heritage, the government has established 103 national parks, 535 wildlife sanctuaries, and zoological gardens.
• Aside from these, we must recognise the importance of the ecosystem to our own survival; only then will the destruction of the natural environment be halted.

Conclusion

The Indian landmass supports a diverse range of flora and fauna. India has an amazing variety of wildlife animals and birds that live in the country's diverse terrain. According to one study, India is one of 17 countries that are home to 60 to 70% of the world's biodiversity. However, irresponsible human interference in the ecosystem has resulted in the loss and extinction of many species. Because of man's interference with nature and the threats that have resulted, the conservation of these biodiversity hotspots and their wildlife in India has become a priority. It is critical that we understand and respect nature's balance, as well as interact responsibly with these ecologically sensitive areas.