BIODIVERSITY OF ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS
A recent publication by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) titled Faunal Diversity of Biogeographic Zones: Islands of India has for the first time come up with a database of all faunal species found on the Andaman & Nicobar Islands.
Report Summary:
- Andaman & Nicobar Islands, comprising only 0.25% of country’s geographical area, is home to 11,009 species i.e. more than 10% of the country’s fauna species.
- A long period of isolation from the mainland made the islands hotspots for speciation (the formation of new and distinct species) resulting in hundreds of endemic species and subspecies.
- The Narcondam hornbill, the Nicobar megapode, the Nicobar treeshrew, the Long-tailed Nicobar macaque, and the Andaman day gecko, are among the 1,067 endemic faunal species found only on the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and nowhere else.
- Marine Faunal Diversity:
- 555 species of scleractinian corals (hard or stony corals) are found in the island ecosystem, all which are placed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA).
- Similarly, all species of gorgonian (sea fans) and calcerous sponge are listed under different schedules of the WPA.
- 555 species of scleractinian corals (hard or stony corals) are found in the island ecosystem, all which are placed under Schedule I of the Wildlife Protection Act (WPA).
- Threats:
- Tourism, illegal construction and mining are posing a threat to the islands’ biodiversity, which is already vulnerable to volatile climatic factors.
- Recent order by Government of India to relax the Restricted Area Permit (RAP) norms under the Foreigners (Restricted Areas) Order, 1963 has triggered further concerns.
- Tourism, illegal construction and mining are posing a threat to the islands’ biodiversity, which is already vulnerable to volatile climatic factors.
Source: The Hindu