NEW DELHI, 30 Jun: India has prepared a checklist of its entire fauna, covering 1,04,561 species, becoming the first country in the world to do so.
Launching the ‘Fauna of India’ checklist portal on the occasion of the 109th foundation day of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Kolkata (WB) on Sunday, union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav said that the first comprehensive document on the faunal species in India will position the country as a global leader in biodiversity documentation.
He said that the faunal checklist will be an invaluable reference for taxonomists, researchers, academicians, conservation managers and policymakers.
The document comprises 121 checklists of all known taxa, covering 36 phyla. Endemic, threatened and scheduled species have also been included in the list.
The minister also highlighted the government’s initiatives, such as the International Big Cat Alliance,to preserve biodiversity and species, and said that the relocation of cheetahs to India is one such successful project. (PTI)
