Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) inaugurated a 3-day celebration programme of the 108th Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) Day with Special Focus on ‘Mission LiFE‘ (Lifestyle for Environment) at Nicco Park in Kolkata, West Bengal.
- Inauguration of Animal Taxonomy Summit (ATS) 2023, its a first of its kind in our country, was organised by ZSI as part of the programme , where 400 delegates across India and abroad including the Natural History Museum, London, the United Kingdom (UK) were participated.
Key People:
Ashwini Kumar Choubey, Minister of State (MoS), MoEFCC; Chandra Prakash Goyal, Director General of Forests and Special Secretary; Dr Dhriti Banerjee, Director ZSI; Dr Ashiho Asosii Mao, Director, Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
Mission LiFE:
i.It is an India-led global mass movement introduced by Prime Minister (PM) Narendra Modi at the 26th United Nations Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow, Scotland, The United Kingdom (UK) in November 2021.
ii.In 2022, the PM launched the Mission LiFE for a sustainable and healthy lifestyle at the Statue of Unity in Gujarat.
Three Phases of Mission LiFE:
Each phase requires a fundamental shift in the approach towards sustainability.
- Phase I – Change in Demand
- Phase II- Change in Supply
- Phase III- Change in Policy
Book Release:
As a part of the event, 6 books were released:
- Animal Discoveries: New Species and New Records 2022; Plant Discoveries 2022; Faunal Diversity of 75 Ramsar Wetlands of India; Records of Zoological Survey of India-Special Issue of ATS 2023; 75 Endemic Birds of India and Fauna of India-108 DNA Sequences.
Signing MoUs:
ZSI signed 3 Memoranda of Understanding (MoUs) for research and academic collaboration as follows:
i.MoU was signed with the Royal Government of Bhutan to conduct a population assessment of the Red Panda, through a non-invasive method.
ii.MoUs were signed with the Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Jodhpur in Rajasthan and the University of Burdwan, West Bengal for research collaborations and student exchange programmes.
Key Highlights:
i.The efforts of ZSI for establishing globally well-known protected areas such as Silent Valley National Park (Kerala), Namdapha Tiger Reserve (Arunachal Pradesh), Nilgiri Biosphere Reserve (Tamil Nadu) and Great Nicobar Biosphere Reserve (Andaman and Nicobar Islands) and many others were appreciated.
ii.The Union Minister also mentioned ZSI’s significant role in providing technical inputs for amending the Wildlife Protection Act.
iii.The MoS emphasised ZSI to focus on the research and conservation of important wetlands of Gangetic plains of India as ‘Sarovar Mitra’, by initiating a programme for citizen scientists for better data dissemination and conservation awareness.
‘75 Endemic Birds of India’, a Publication from ZSI: 78 species of birds are found only in India
The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) on commemorating its 108th Foundation Day, released a publication titled ‘75 Endemic Birds of India‘ during the 3 days programme held in Kolkata, West Bengal. As per the publication, 78 (about 5%) of birds found in India are Endemic and are not reported in other parts of the world.
- There is a rich diversity of 10,906 bird species in the world, and of them, India is home to 1,353, which represents approximately 12.40% of global bird diversity.
Key Points:
i.According to the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) categorisation in its Red List of Threatened Species, 25 of the 78 bird species, which are found only in India, are classified as ‘Threatened’; 3 species are listed as ‘Critically Endangered’; 5 are categorised as ‘Endangered’, and 17 as ‘Vulnerable’, while 11 are categorised as ‘Near Threatened’.
ii.Of the 78 species, 3 species have not been recorded in the last few decades. They are:
- Manipur Bush Quail (Perdicula manipurensis); Himalayan Quail (Ophrysia superciliosa),and Jerdon’s Courser (Rhinoptilus bitorquatus).
iii.28 bird species, the highest number of endemic species have been recorded in the Western Ghats, 25 species are endemic to Andaman and Nicobar Islands, 4 species to the Eastern Himalayas and one each to the Southern Deccan plateau and Central Indian Forest.
iv.Some of the interesting species recorded in India’s bio-geographic hotspot are the Malabar Grey Hornbill (Ocyceros griseus); Malabar Parakeet (Psittacula columboides) from Western Ghats; Nicobar Serpent Eagle (Spilornis klossi), Andaman Barn Owl (Tyto Deroepstorffi) from the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.
Recent related news:
Researchers of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) have discovered 2 new species of jumping spiders from southern India, namely, Phintella dhritiae from Mookambika Wildlife Sanctuary in Karnataka and Phintella platnicki from Salem district of Tamil Nadu (TN).
About Zoological Survey of India (ZSI):
Director– Dhriti Banerjee
Headquarters– Kolkata, West Bengal
It was established on 1st July 1916 to promote survey, exploration and research leading to the advancement in our knowledge of various aspects of an exceptionally rich life of the erstwhile ´British Indian Empire´.
