Biodiversity and Conservation

Whereas a well-maintained herbarium is a safe repository of plant specimens, of extreme utility for research in taxonomy, phytogeography, evolution, conservation and even archaeology, in nature the plant diversity is threatened by several factors, mainly anthropic.

The variety of climatic and soil types available in Peninsular India are briefly reviewed to understand the basis of biodiversity in the region.

The vegetation types provide the basic framework to appreciate the biodiversity. The maps prepared by ICAR-French Institute depicting the "series of vegetation" have been planimetrically analysed to note ihe potential area under each series, the percentage of it under forest and under degraded vegetation. The forest- cover in Peninsular India comes out only 7 to 8 per cent according to different sources with degraded vegetation like thickets, savanna, scattered shrubs covering another 2 to 3 per cent ofthe land area. The "series of vegetation" whose forest-cover is fast depleting deserve prime protection measures.

National Remote Sensing Agency (1983) has presented statistics of forest-cover state-wise according to the administrative divisions. The assessment according to the vegetation types or "series" has the advantage of identifying those series having negligible area under forests so that urgent steps could be provided for their conservation and restoration.