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The Flora & Fauna of India

The concept of forest and wildlife conservation is very ancient to India. Since time immemorial, wildlifehere has enjoyed a privileged position of protection through religious philosophy. India's flora and faunaare as diverse as its cultural variances. The Indian subcontinent has many fascinating sights for itsnature 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 serioussteps towards environmental management and has established numerous parks, sanctuaries andreserves.

The melange of India's climate and topography is reflected in its rich flora & fauna. India is worldrenown for its tigers, elephants and rhinoceroses, but these are just three of the more than 500 speciesof mammals harbouring in the country. India has for years captivated the attentions of wildlife expertsand lovers. The assortment of wildlife you can see in India is truly mind-boggling, no where else you canfind 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 theIndian wildlife biosphere, mainly confined in the Indian wildlife sanctuary or national park. Wildlifeheritage of India is as much or more diverse than the cultural heritage of this country. In all India has80 national parks and 441 sanctuaries, of which 19 fall under the purview of Project Tiger. The total areaof India's protected wilderness is approximately 140,000 sq km. This contains 4 % of the country's totalland area. Not only are these vast patches of forests preserved as natural habitats for wildlife, but areeven more unique owing to the fact that they vary from region to region and each has somethingunique, 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 andaround 30,000 species of insects, including the colorful butterflies. Conservation projects have beenestablished to preserve them.

Floras In India

The wide range of climatic conditions helps India boasts of its rich varietyof vegetation that no other country in this world can boast of. The

vegetation comprises some 15,000 species of plants. According to thedistribution of the flora, India can be classified into, Western Himalayas,Eastern Himalayas, Assam, Indus Plain, Ganga Plain, Deccan, Malabar andthe Andamans.

Indian flora fluctuates from the Western Himalayan and Assamese, from the species of the Indus Plainto those of the gangetic plain, from the Deccan and Malabari to the vegetation of the Andamans. Thefloral treasure ranges from the Alpine to the temperate thorn, from the coniferous to the evergreen,

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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 Deccanregion is full of scrubs and mixed deciduous forests. The Malabar region is under commercial crops likecoconut, betel, pepper, coffee and tea. Andaman region is plentiful in evergreen and mangrove forests.

Book Flora & Fauna TourFaunas in India

Popular mammals include the Elephant, the famous white lions and some common lions, the RoyalBengal 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 includegraceful 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); andthe tiny mouse deer (chevrotains). Also seen are wild buffaloes, massive Indian bisons (gaurs), shaggysloth bears, striped hyenas, wild pigs, jackals, Indian foxes, wolves, and Indian wild dogs (dhole), whichresembles 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 theBrahmaputra valley. The famous Project Tiger is a scheme financed by the government of India tosafeguard 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 arefound in the Deccan plateau.

India is blessed with over 2000 species and sub-species of birds. Thediverse birdlife of the forests includes large hornbills, serpent eagles andfishing owls, as well as the elegant national bird, the peacock. Waterbirds,such as herons, ibises, storks, cranes, pelicans and others, are seen notonly in parks but at numerous special waterbird sanctuaries. Thesesanctuaries contain large breeding colonies, and are of great importancefor the countless numbers of migrating birds which visit India annually.

Bird-Life in India is rich and colorful. The birds include the beautifulPeacock 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.

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