Biodiversity Hotspots in India

There are 36 biodiversity hotspots listed around the world. 4 Biodiversity Hotspots in India are among them. India is one of the most diverse countries in the world, ranking in the top 10 diverse nations. Its unique climate conditions, topography, ecosystem from Himalayas to costal regions, desert, forests and wetlands are support to an extraordinary range of flora and fauna.

It has been recorded that 8% of world’s biodiversity is found in India. Over 47000 species of plants and 91000 species of animals have been documented in India itself.

Criteria for a Biodiversity Hotspot

• It must contain at least 1500 endemic vascular plant species
• Must have lost at least 70% of it’s original habitat

Biodiversity hotspots in India are…

1. The Himalayas
2. Western Ghats
3. Indo-Burma regions
4. Sundaland (Nicobar Islands)

1.The Himalayas

The Himalayas is one among the four Biodiversity Hotspots in India and also considered as global diversity hotspot. It covers the parts of Nepal, Bhutan, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh. This region is specialised with high level of species richness and endemism. In Himalayas ,it has an estimated 9000 plant species, out of them 3500 are endemic.

   Flora:

The Eastern Himalayas holds one of the world’s richest counts of alpine flora within its forests, with a total of 10,000 species of plant. Out of these ,71 genera with 3160 different species are endemic to the region, including a large number of species from the genus rhododendron that can be found in great quantities on the hills of Eastern Himalayas.

With at least 75000 flowering plants in India, 50% of them are from this region. There are about 700 species of orchids in the north-eastern region of India alone. The Orchidaceae is the largest family, wit 750 endemic species, out of 545 are restricted to Arunachal Pradesh region, with 12 being endangered, 16 vulnerable and 31 near threatened.

   Fauna:

The Eastern Himalayan region is home to 300 mammalian species, 977 avian species, 176 reptilian species, 105 amphibian species and 269 species of fresh water fishes.

Some of the significant mammals that are found here includes langurs, sloth bears, wild dogs, gaur, muntjacs, snow leopards, Asian black bear, Himalayan tahr, red panda, takin, blue sheep etc. the endemic mammals that are found in the Eastern Himalayas region include the golden langur hispid hare, pygmy hog, and the Namdapha flying squirrel.

There are 977 birds that have been noted in this region, only 15 are endemic. Some of the most threatened winged representatives are the white-winged duck, the critically endangered white-bellied heron, and the critically endangered Bengal florican.

2. Western  Ghats

The Western Ghats are a mountain range along India’s western coast consisting of a series of hills with an east-west orientation spanning six states which is one of the Biodiversity Hotspots in India. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a global biodiversity hotspot supporting rich ecosystems such as tropical rainforest, shola grasslands, and fertile valleys. It is home to thousands of endemic species of plants and animals, such as the lion-tailed macaque and Nilgiri  tahr. Also, the Western Ghats are the origin of major rivers such as the Godavari and Kaveri. Deforestation, mining, climate change – despite their ecological significance, the Western Ghats are under threat.

   Flora:

The Western Ghats encompass over 5,000 flowering and they are endemically crowdsourced, containing more than 50%. The area is dominated by evergreen/semi-evergreen forests, ferns, shrubs, fungi, and many varieties of orchids. The recognized plant species includes over 40 orchids, and species important to the economy.

   Fauna:

The Western Ghats support a high diversity of mammals, which includes: Asian elephant, Tiger, Gaur, Lion-tailed macaque, and Nilgiri Langur. There are also 508 recorded bird species in the region, including a further range of migratory species, several species of amphibians, reptiles, and fish species are also endemic to the Western Ghats. The Western Ghats is particularly significant for the conservation of tiger with estimated 10% of the world tiger population residing inside. The region also provides refuges for endangered species including Nilgiri Tahr, Lion-tailed macaque, and Malabar large-spotted civet.

3. Indo-Burma region

The Indo-Burma region has been identified as a Biodiversity Hotspots in India for both flora and fauna, it is a biodiversity hotspot primarily due to the high levels of endemism of plants and animals and the very serious threats to the remaining natural habitats of the region. The Indo-Burma region covers parts of Southeast Asia, specifically Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, Vietnam, parts of southern China, and parts of northeast India and Bangladesh. The Indo-Burma region has a rich diversity of species that share the region with high endemism and intense anthropogenic pressure from habitat loss and degradation.

   Flora:

Approximately 13,500 vascular plant species inhabit the Indo-Burma region, of which more than 7000 (that is 52%) are endemic to the region. The Indo-Burma region consists of a wide variety of plant ecosystems, including tropical evergreen, semi-evergreen, moist deciduous, bamboo forests, as well as grasslands and wetlands.

   Fauna:

Indo-Burma is rich in diversity of animal life, as it supports mammals, birds, reptiles, amphibians, and fish. This Biodiversity hotspots in India is rich with species that are endemic to the region, which means they are only found in Indo-Burma and no-where else on earth. For example, the Asian elephant, Bengal tiger, Indian one-horned rhinoceros, Hoolock gibbon, and the clouded leopard. The Indo-Burma hotspot is known specifically for its high diversity of freshwater turtle species on the brink of extinction. The region is known to support almost 1,300 species of birds, including threatened species such as the white-eared.

4. Sundaland (Nicobar Island)

Sundaland is one of the Biodiversity Hotspots in India; it is known for a richness and endemism of plant and animal life that is extraordinary. This richness is most evident in its rainforests, peat swamps, and mangrove ecosystems. Sundaland includes parts of Southeast Asia: the Malay Peninsula, Borneo, Sumatra, Java, and most of the islands in between. Sundaland possesses an exceptional number of species of animals and plants, many of which are endemic to the region.