In June 2025, Union Minister Bhupender Yadav, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEF&CC), released the ‘Annual biodiversity report 2024’ during an event held in Kolkata, West Bengal(WB).
- The findings were published in two flagship reports: “Animal Discoveries 2024” by Kolkata,West Bengal(WB) based Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and “Plant Discoveries 2024” by Kolkata based Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
Key Highlights of Discoveries in 2024:
i.In 2024, India added 683 faunal species, comprising 459 new species and 224 new records.
ii.433 plant taxa were documented, which include 410 new plant species and 23 infra-specific taxa.
About Faunal Discoveries:
i.Kerala recorded the highest faunal discoveries: 101 species (80 new species and 21 new records).
ii.Followed by:
- Karnataka: 82 (68 new species, 14 new records)
- Arunachal Pradesh(AR): 72 (42 new species, 30 new records)
- Tamil Nadu(TN): 63 (50 new species, 13 new records)
- WB: 56 (25 new species, 31 new records)
- Andaman & Nicobar(A&N) Islands: 43 (14 new species, 29 new records)
- Meghalaya: 42 (25 new species and 17 new records)
iii.The lowest number of new species was reported from Chandigarh, Delhi, Haryana, and Telangana.
About Faunal Discoveries:
i.Two new reptile genera, 37 new reptile species and 5 new amphibian species were discovered.
ii.Key species include:
- Dravidoseps gouensis, a new genus of reptile.
- Anguiculus dicaprioi, a new Colubridae family species named after actor Leonardo DiCaprio.
iii.Kerala recorded the highest number of floral discoveries in 2024, with 58 newly documented species, followed by Maharashtra with 45 species and Uttarakhand with 40 species.
iv.Floral hotspots such as the Western Ghats and North-Eastern Region contributed to 35% of the total discoveries.
v.The 2024 plant discoveries include 154 angiosperms, 4 pteridophytes, 15 bryophytes, 63 lichens, 156 fungi, 32 algae, and 9 microbial species.
Notable Floral Species:
i.Rare orchids: Bulbophyllum gopalianum, Coelogyne tripurensis, Gastrodia indica, and Gastrodia sikkimensis.
ii.Wild relatives of important crops and medicinal plants like begonia, impatiens, legumes, zingibers, and grasses.
India’s Biodiversity Profile:
i.Faunal Diversity: 1,05,244 species and subspecies.
ii.Floral Diversity: 56,177 species, including angiosperms, gymnosperms, algae, fungi, and lichens.
iii.India contributes about 6.26% of global faunal species while covering only 2.4% of the Earth’s land area.
Note: The ZSI released Version 2.0 of the Checklist of Fauna of India. This comprehensive update encompasses 121 taxonomic groups across 36 phyla, from protists to mammals, and includes endemic, threatened, and scheduled species.
About Zoological Survey of India (ZSI):
Director – Dhriti Banerjee
Headquarters – Kolkata (West Bengal, WB)
Established – 1916
