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.
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.
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