1.4L species: India first to document entire fauna

New Delhi, June 30

India has become the first country in biodiversity documentation by preparing a checklist of its entire fauna, covering 104,561 species.

Launching the “Fauna of India Checklist Portal” on the occasion of the 109th Foundation Day of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Kolkata on Sunday, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav on Sunday said, “The Fauna of India Checklist Portal is the first comprehensive document on the faunal species reported from India. The checklist will be an invaluable reference for taxonomists, researchers, academicians, conservation managers and policymakers. It comprises 121 checklists of all known taxa covering 36 phyla (classification of animals). Endemic, threatened and scheduled species have also been included in the list.”