Faunal Resources In India: Preface

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Preface

This is an extract from FAUNAL DIVERSITY IN INDIA Edited by J. R. B. Alfred A. K. Das A. K. Sanyal. ENVIS Centre, Zoological Survey of India, Calcutta. 1998 ( J. R. B. Alfred was Director, Zoological Survey of India)

The biological resources are the physical manifestation of globe's biological diversity, which simply stated as the variety and variability among living organisms and ecological complexes in which they occur (Mc Neely, 1988). Our planet's greatest resource is contained in natural forests, plains, mountains, wetlands and marine habitats. And the species are the primary focus of evolutionary mechanisms, and the origination and extinction of species are the principal agents in governing biological diversity in most senses in which the latter can be defined. Therefore, the ultimate task of taxonomists in to document and understand the extent and significance of biological diversity (Groombridge, 1992). This involves field explorations leading to the collection of museum specimens, involving the process of identifying, cataloguing and adding base line information to the database of faunal resources. Thus the documentation of biological diversity calls for an understanding of the distribution of different species and their assemblages in different ecological habitats.

India's immense biological diversity encompasses ecosystems, populations, species and their genetic make-up. This diversity can be attributed to the vast variety in physiographic and climatic situations resulting in a diversity of ecological habitats ranging from tropical, subtropical, temperate, alpine to desert. Documentation of faunal resource of a country therefore, focuses on developing 'indicators' to be used in the assessment which are reflected in combination of ecological fundamentals, such as biodiversity, critical habitat and key ecological relationships; site-specific considerations, environmental stress and potentiaI impacts.

The Zoological Survey of India was established on 1st July 1916 to promote survey, exploration and research leading to the advancement of knowledge on the faunal resources of the country. Besides publication of Fauna of India, Fauna of States and several other publications since its inception, an attempt was first made before the commencement of CBO in the form of publication on Animal Resources of India during 1991, followed by the publication of Faunal Diversity in India (1998) by Zoological Survey of India. The books on Co/lection, Preservation and Identification of various group of animals published by the department has given us an impetus to further elaborate the scope of need to conduct carefully designed cost-efficient surveys that yield the greatest potential hlture use of data. The present book is next in the series focusing on the importance of taxonomic nomenclature and its regulation, species concept, role of natural history museums followed by the species inventory and diversity in different ecological conditions. An allempt has also been made to assess the economic value of the taxon at different levels and the conservation efforts initiated to sustain the biodiversity against the anthropogenic influences. The glossary at the end will help in understanding the terminologies employed while compiling the book. Ramakrishna Kolkata J.R.B.