An overview of biodiversity & its conservation Kumar Pardeep Department of Education, Haryana Online published on 5 June, 2014. Abstract Diversity of nature, with its bountiful flora and fauna is a source of beauty, enjoyment, understanding and knowledge- a foundation for human creativity and subject for study. Study of animal life is a fascinating subject to say the least and a challenge at best. India is very rich in biological diversity due to its unique biogeographic locations, diversified climatic conditions and enormous ecodiversity and geodiversity. India embraces three major biological realms, via, Indo-Malayan, Eurasian and Afro-tropical and is adorned with 10 biogeographic zone and 26 biotic provinces (Alfred, 1998). India possesses diversified ecosystem from snow clad high mountain ranges to sea coasts of all categories including desert and semi-arid regions, almost all types of forests, grass land, lakes and rivers, estuaries, lagoons, islands and ocean. The climate ranges from artic in the Himalayas to very hot in the thar desert of Rajasthan while annual rainfall varies from 100mm in the desert to 5000mm in the Cherrapunji hills. It is, therefore, quite inevitable that India having only 2% of the World total landmass and harbours about 89,500 animal species comprising 7.28% of the world known animal species. Thus, India is recognizing as one of the 17-mega diversity countries of the world with four biodiversity Hot Spots, of 34 such sites identified throughout the globe. In fact our countries is very rich in term of not only species diversity but is blessed with an enormous variety and variability (genetic diversity) with in species along with the presence of a large number of endemic species. Top Keywords Biodiversity, Fauna, India, Species. Top |