155 Plant Species in India 'Critically Endangered'

There are 155 Critically Endangered, 274 Endangered, 213 Vulnerable, and 80 Near Threatened plant species for which conservation measures are being undertaken by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and other relevant institutes.

As per the information from the BSI, presently 2,970 plant species are found in India (not endemic to the country). These have been assessed by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) and featured in the IUCN red list, according to an official release.

Of these, more than 2,043 species are categorised as of ‘Least Concern’ and do not require immediate conservation measures, the release said, quoting Minister of State for Environment, Forest and Climate Change Kirti Vardhan Singh.

As per the information received from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), presently 7,076 faunal species from India have been included under different categories of the IUCN Red List which needs conservation.

Among the species under the IUCN Red List, 3,739 are protected under the different Schedules of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972. And other species are conserved under the Protected Areas Network of the country. 

Through ex-situ conservation, BSI conserves plants including IUCN red-listed species in its 16 Botanical gardens, located in different phytogeographical regions of the country. Besides, under the Assistance to Botanic Gardens (ABG) scheme of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, IUCN-listed threatened species have also been prioritised in the network of Botanic Gardens across the countries for conservation.

Apart from 1,022 Protected Areas established in India covering 1,78,640.69 Sq Km to protect the habitat, the Government declared 80 Ramsar sites to conserve wetlands, 45 Biodiversity. Heritage Sites in 16 States, Coastal Regulation Zone along the 7,517 km in Indian Mainland, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep. In addition, habitat restoration has taken place for mangroves in maritime states and afforestation measures in the degraded forest ecosystem.

The Ministry does not provide BSI and ZSI any separate fund for conservation. However, conservation funding is provided under other programs for the Ministry like Project Tiger, and Project Elephant as well as funding provided to the protected areas notified by the Ministry.