Why in the News?

The Union Minister of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has launched a portal documenting all animal species in India.
- The Portal was launched on the 109th Foundation Day of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) in Kolkata.

Back2Basics: Zoological Survey of India

The ZSI was set up by British zoologist Thomas Nelson Annandale, in 1916.
It is the premier taxonomic research organisation in India based in Kolkata.
It was established to promote surveys, exploration and research leading to the advancement of our knowledge of various aspects of the exceptionally rich animal life of India.
The ZSI had its genesis as the Zoological Section of the Indian Museum at Calcutta in 1875.
Since its inception, the ZSI has been documenting the diversity and distribution of the fauna of India towards carrying out its mandate of conducting exploration-cum-taxonomic-research programmes.
The ZSI has published an extremely large amount of information on all animal taxa, from Protozoa to Mammalia.

The portal consists of records of more than 100,000 animal species, prepared by over 150 scientists of the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) over two years.
This checklist is the first comprehensive document on faunal species in India, covering 121 checklists of all known taxa across 36 phyla, including endemic, threatened, and scheduled species.
It is a compilation of all animal species recorded in India since the 1750s, including endemic, threatened, and scheduled species.
It provides essential data for conservation and management efforts, forming the basis for all biological sciences.
Significance of Portal:
- With this, India has become the first country to prepare a checklist of its entire fauna, covering 104,561 species, positioning itself as a global leader in biodiversity conservation.
- The comprehensive documentation of India’s fauna aligns with Mission LiFE by providing crucial data for biodiversity conservation.

A 2023 ZSI report highlights that India is one of the world’s 17 megadiverse nations, hosting around 7-8% of the world’s documented species and containing four of the 34 globally recognised biodiversity hotspots.
The report lists 641 discoveries made by scientists and experts from India during 2023 with Kerala topping the list, followed by West Bengal.
It includes 442 new species globally and 199 newly recorded species in India.

New Species: The 2023 findings include 112 hymenopterans, 86 arachnids, 47 new fishes, 20 reptiles, and two mammals.
New Mammals: An ibex species found in Himachal Pradesh and Ladakh, named Capra himalayensis, and a new bat species, Miniopterus srinii, was discovered in Kodagu district, Karnataka.
State Rankings: Kerala recorded the highest number of new discoveries with 101, followed by West Bengal with 72, Tamil Nadu with 62, and Arunachal Pradesh and Karnataka with 45 each.

Mission LiFE, or Lifestyle for Environment, is a global mass movement initiated by India to encourage individual and community action towards environmental protection and preservation.
It was inaugurated by the PM Modi at the 26th UN Climate Change Conference of the Parties (COP26) in Glasgow in November 2021.
The program aims to mobilise one billion Indians and individuals worldwide to adopt sustainable lifestyles.
It aligns with the P3 model, promoting Pro Planet People and fostering a sense of collective responsibility.
It operates based on the principles of ‘Lifestyle of the planet, for the planet, and by the planet’.

[2020] With reference to India’s Biodiversity, Ceylon frogmouth, Coppersmith barbet, Gray-chinned minivet and White-throated redstart are:

(a) Birds

(b) Primates

(d) Amphibians