Plant Discoveries 2020

As we know, the ecosystem is an interrelated and complex web, consisting of both abiotic and biotic elements of life on Planet Earth. Abiotic elements are the elements of Earth that are non-living in nature. While Biotic elements are the elements that are living in nature. In this biotic category, the concept of flora and fauna never fails to intrigue life and living conditions on Earth. Fauna indicates the animal life on Earth; while, Flora points towards the plant life on Earth. The entire kingdom of Plants is constituted by the term “flora”. The Sahyadri region points to the rich flora within the Nation. 

Before moving to the new plant species, let us look at the region which constitutes the richest and most undisturbed forest in India. 

Western Ghat and its richness

The western ghats are commonly designated as the “Sahyadri”. This constitutes 1600 kilometers in length and is approximately 46 to 65 million years old. These ghats are spread across six states of India- Karnataka, Goa, Kerala, Gujarat, and Maharashtra. The Nilgiri Hills are situated in the southern portion of the Western Ghats. In addition, this hill is also the meeting point of the Eastern and the Western Ghats. The ecosystem of the Western ghats is the only ecosystem, which is left idle and undisturbed evergreen forest. 

The ghat is very rich in biological wealth. It is one of the 34 global hotspots for biodiversity. It is one the best representatives of the tropical evergreen non-equatorial forests from around the world. The plant diversity and the ecosystem that can be found in this western ghat cannot be found in any other region in the world. 

Now, let us look at some of the new plant species that these ghats provided us with, as per the botanical survey of India. 

New Discoveries 2020

The 2020 Plant Discoveries as published by the Botanical Survey of India added approximately 267 new plant species to India’s Flora. These new plant species include the following sub-categories- 

• Five Bryophytes
• 57 Fungi
• 18 Microbes
• 21 Algae
• 44 Lichens
• Three Pteridophytes, and
• 119 Angiosperms

In addition, in the year 2020, approximately 202 brand new plant species were identified from around the world; along with 65 latest reports. With this update, the new average of the plant diversity in the country marks at approximately 54733 species. This includes the sub-category- 

• 2791 Bryophytes
• 15504 Fungi
• 1257 Microbes
• 8979 Algae
• 2961 Lichens
• 1310 Pteridophytes
• 21849 Angiosperms, and
• 82 Gymnosperms

Within these new plant species, approximately-

• Nine Impatiens and a new species of wild banana were brought in from the Darjeeling region
• One species of Wild Jamun fruit from the region of Coimbatore
• A new fern species was found in the Odisha region of the country
• 31 micro and 14 macrofungi species were also found in several regions of the Indian Subcontinent

Among these plant discoveries, more than 22 percent of the new plant species were found in the Western Ghats of the Country, which is followed by the North-eastern and Himalayan regions. Ten percent of the discoveries were done from the western coastline, and nine percent from the eastern coast. The southern Deccan and the Eastern ghats marked four percent of the discoveries of the new plant species. And, the North Deccan region along with the Central Highlands marked approximately three percent of the discoveries. 

Importance of the Discoveries

The Indian Subcontinent is an endorser in the Bio-diversity Convention- known as the Convention of Biological Diversity. As a legal treaty, the CBD came into existence in the year 1993. 

India is focused and committed to attaining the goal of plant conservation. These discoveries of the new plant species are assembled and noted in the documents of the Botanical Survey of India. This documentation plays an essential role in the goal of plant conservation and India’s commitment. This also helps in the expansion of plant diversity in the country. 

Conclusion

The ecosystem is an interrelated and complex web, which also includes the flora and fauna of a region. Fauna- the animal kingdom, and the Flora- the plant kingdom play an essential role in the diversity and growth of living conditions in a region. In India, the Western Ghat has the evergreen forests- which are left undisturbed. This region is wealthy when it comes to biological diversity. As per the reports of Conservation International, it is one of the 34 global hotspots for biodiversity. It must be noted that more than 22 percent of the new plant species were found in the Western Ghats of the country, as per the Plant Discoveries 2020 publications of the Botanical Survey of India.