52 plants discovered in Bengal in 2023, highest in India: Survey
Times of India | 2 July 2024
Kolkata: Bengal has emerged as the leading region for the discovery of new plant species in India, according to the Plant Discoveries 2023 report, compiled by the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).
Unveiled by minister of environment, forest and climate change Bhupender Yadav on Sunday, the report highlights that of the 339 new species and intraspecific categories added to the Indian flora in 2023, Bengal contributed the most with 52 discoveries.Kerala came second with 38 discoveries and Uttarakhand third with 34. Nearly 90% of the new species of algae, which are critical to ecological balance, in India were discovered in Bengal.
India is one of the mega-diverse nations comprising 7%-8% of the total global flora species. It was crucial to protect these natural resources from the rising global temperature, said Botanical Survey of India director Ashiho A Mao. BSI, custodian of over 3 million plant specimens and equipped with state-of-the-art infrastructure, played a crucial role in these discoveries. Mao emphasized the significance of these findings, particularly in the context of environmental degradation.
Experts pointed out that algae, a diverse group of simple, typically autotrophic organisms, ranging from unicellular to multicellular forms, were becoming increasingly important globally. In India, algae account for 16.3% of the total plant species, with approximately 9,085 species recorded. “India has made significant strides in algae research, contributing to our understanding of these vital organisms,” said Mao.
In 2023, scientists from BSI and other organizations discovered a family, 20 genera, 326 species and 13 infraspecific taxa to Indian flora. Of these, 171 taxa are new to science and 168 taxa are new distributional records. The discoveries spanned various regions, with 23% from western Himalayas, 14% from eastern Himalayas and eastern plains, 12% from west coast, 10% from Western Ghats, and 6% from eastern coasts.
But Mao highlighted an issue: the non-submission of specimens of newly described taxa to designated herbaria, which violates the Biodiversity Act 2022. He urged authors to submit type specimens to BSI’s repositories in accordance with national guidelines.