India Unveils World’s First Comprehensive Fauna Checklist

Tags: Environment

India becomes the first country to prepare a comprehensive checklist of its entire fauna, covering 104,561 species.

An Overview of the News

• Launched by Union Minister Bhupender Yadav on the 109th Foundation Day of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Kolkata.

Government’s Commitment to Biodiversity

• PM’s Vision for Nature: PM Modi’s vision emphasized through programs like ‘Ek Ped Maa Ke Naam’ and Mission LIFE, promoting sustainable consumption and conservation.

• International Initiatives: The International Big Cat Alliance and the successful relocation of cheetahs to India highlight the government's efforts in biodiversity conservation.

Fauna of India Checklist Portal

• Comprehensive Document: The portal is the first of its kind, including 121 checklists of all known taxa covering 36 phyla. It also includes endemic, threatened, and scheduled species.

• Resource for Stakeholders: An invaluable reference for taxonomists, researchers, academicians, conservation managers, and policymakers.

Animal Taxonomy Summit–2024

• Second Summit by ZSI: The summit focuses on three themes: Taxonomy, Systematics and Evolution; Ecology and Animal Behaviour; and Biodiversity and Conservation.

• Participation and Discussions: 350 delegates from four countries, including the Natural History Museum, London, will participate, with 21 plenary/lead lectures and 142 oral/poster presentations.

• Outcome: Recommendations will be conveyed to the Government of India for biodiversity conservation.

Publications and Initiatives

• New Discoveries: ‘Animal Discoveries–2023’ and ‘Plant Discoveries-2023’ featuring new species and records.

• Other Publications: ‘Fauna of India–109 barcodes’, ‘Catalogue of Hoverflies’, ‘Catalogue of Muscidae’, ‘Flora of India Series’, and the ‘Barcode Atlas of Indian Fishes’.

• Celebrating Conservation: ‘ROAR - Celebrating 50 years of Project Tiger’ book released.

• International Society of Zoology (ISZ): Launched by Jitendra Kumar to enhance global biodiversity understanding and protection.

Collaboration and Cultural Events

• MoUs Signed: ZSI exchanged 10 MoUs with various universities, colleges, and national institutes for better coordination and benefits to the masses.

• Cultural Performance: The event concluded with a cultural performance, attended by officials, scientists, researchers, and vice chancellors from various institutions.