FLORA & FAUNA

DR. C. S. LATTOO

All the plant species that make up the vegetation of a given area. The term is also applied to assemblage of fossil plants from a particular geological time or from a geographical region in a former geological time. Examples all three types of usage respectively are British flora, Carboniferous flora and Gondwana flora. Or

Flora and Fauna are scientific terms given by biologists to describe the collective whole of plant and animal life, respectively of a particular geographical region. Fauna is all of the animals of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.

Or Flora : It is an inventory of plants of a definite area. This inventory is usually authenticated by citation of herbarium specimen of a locality or stations where each element is known to have occurred. It is customary to arrange plant treated in a flora, according to a recognized system of classification. Flora may cover any suitable area from a small patch of forest, to a town, city, district, state or country.

Requirements to study flora of a place :

a) Size of the area b) A square degree is an appropriate rectangle bounded by one degree of longitude and one degree of latitude c) Political boundaries : City, district, state, country d) Field collection : Get familiar to plants of the region e) Maximum day time in the field f) Plants should be collected in their all stages of growth g) Study the habitat of a growing plant h) Collect at least six specimen of each plant.

Details to be noted in the field : a) Habit b) Habitat c) Annual, biennial or perennial d) Size e) Fragrance (in leaves, flowers or fruits) f) Pollinating agent g) Associated plants h) Elevation i) Date of collection j) Local name of the plant.

Flora of India : 1565 Garcia d Orta, a Portuguese physician published the first account of Indian plants in Portuguese language, which was later translated in Latin.

This work attracted other Botanist from Europe.

Hendrik Von Rheede (1678-1693) Amsterdam

Hortus Malabaricus 12 Volumes. The flora

contains Kokani names of plants. Ranga Bhat, Appu Bhat, Vinayak Pandit.

The most comprehensive work on Indian flora by a British Botanist Sir J. D. Hooker (1872 1897). Seven Volumes The Flora of British India.

Theodore Cooke, Ex-Principal, College of Western Circle Pune. The Flora of Presidency of Bombay (1901 1908). Account of 2513 species included North Kanara, Belgaum and Dharwad and also Sindh and Karachi (Pakistan). No Vidarbha and Marathwada.
Classified plants into 999 Genera of 147 families. Work originally started by G. M. Woodrow (1880 1899).

Kartikeyan (1981) recorded additions of 715 species to the list of Cookes flora from present day Maharashtra. Rev. Fr. Blatter started revision Cookes flora -- Rev. Fr. Santapan --- Dr. M. R. Almeida.

Fauna : Protected areas, Biosphere area, National Parts, wild life sanctuary, Romsar wetlands, conservation areas, private protected areas, reserved and protected forests.

Projects

Project Tiger Proejct Elephant

Indian Forest Act, 1972. Wild Life Protection Act, 1972, 2002 organizations : Ministry of Forest & Environment, National Biodiversity Authority, Forest Institute, Wild Life Institute, Zoo Authority (Indian). International : I.U.C.N., South Asian Zoo Association, WWF Nature, Tiger, Elephant, Asiatic Lion, Bison, Peafoul, Indian Cobra, Nilgiri, languor, Red Panda, Olive Ridlay Turtle.

India is home for several large mammals,

Lion, Tiger, Elephant, Leopard and One

Horned Rhino, in culture associated with several deities. Some of these animals are

also important for wild life tourism.

Insufficient information about invertebrate and lower forms in India. Fishes 2546 species (11% of world species) Amphibians 197 species (4.4% of world species) Endemism Reptile 408 species (6% of world species) Birds 1250 species (12% of world species) Mammals 410 species (8.8% of world species). Western Ghat : Nearly 77% amphibian and 62% reptile found here are found nowhere else.