The earliest report for grasses from British India was made by Hooker (1896). He described 146 genera and 845 species of grasses in the flora of British India.
The bamboo sector to serve as an eco-friendly source of goods & services and livelihood to millions of people in India including the challenges and efforts to be undertaken in this direction has been discussed in detail in this paper.
A study was conducted to document spider diversity in Kedarnath Wildlife Sanctuary, Chamoli District, Uttarakhand. The area is dense forest of Chir Pine, Oak, Birch and Rhododendrons.
Creation and subsequent expansion of Protected Area (PA) network has often deprived local people of their usufruct rights and displaced communities from their traditional lands. This 'isolationist' approach has resulted in severe conflicts between local people and PA authorities.
Out of the 9 species of vultures, more than 90 per cent of two species of vultures, the white-rumped and long-billed, have been wiped out. The main reason for such a decline in the population has been attributed to presence of diclofenac. The manufacture of diclofenac for cattle is now banned.
During the study period from July, 2004 to July, 2008, a total of 5735 vultures of seven different species were recorded in different geographical regions of Rajasthan. Their presence near the carcass dumping grounds in villages, towns and cities in common.
The Shivalik landscape is extended from the Indus basin to the Brahmaputra with one gap of over 300 km from the Sapta Kosi to the Manas river. The Shivalik landscape, has been categorized under Indo-Gangetic plains and it has special significance in India's biogeography due to intermingling of taxa from the Indo-Malayan and Palaearctic regions.
Populations and diversity of major species of concern in the park has provided somewhat robust. Several species, especially antelope, chinkara and sambhar are at critical risk. Maintenance of biodiversity at the Kumbhalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary is made difficult by a range of forces, including forest degradation, grazing, road accidents, forest fire and diseases.
Similipal Biosphere Reserve of northern Orissa is one among the seven such reserves of India that form a part of the World Network of Biosphere Reserves. The overall objective of the Biosphere Reserve programme was to deal with one of the most important questions of reconciling conservation of biodiversity, quest for economic and social development, and maintenance of associated cultural values.
