NATURAL VEGETATION AND WILDLIFE
India is one of 12 mega bio-diverse countries in the world, which means it has a high number of different species, especially those that are endemic to India. This diversity is due to various factors including geographical diversity (mountains, deserts, forests, and coastlines) and climatic variations (from the Himalayan cold to the coastal tropics).
1.47,000 Plant Species: India’s flora is diverse, ranking 10th in the world and 4th in Asia.
2.15,000 Flowering Plants: These contribute 6% of the world’s total, showcasing India’s variety in just one category of plant life.
3.Non-Flowering Plants: India is home to other types of vegetation like ferns, algae, and fungi.
The term ‘flora’ is used to describe the collective plant species in a specific region or time. In India, the flora varies greatly depending on the region — like the alpine flora in the Himalayas, the tropical flora in the South, and the desert flora in the West.