India is known for its biological diversity. It is one of the twelve mega-diversity centres. There is a need to study and document its immense biological wealth, before it is being destroyed. There are several books and articles written and published about the flora in India. It is very unfortunate that we yet to have an updated and modern “Flora of India” of the quality of Hooker’s “The Flora of British India”. For instance, Hooker described 10,200 angiosperm species within the political boundaries of the present-day India. Since then, the number of species discoveries and new records in the angiosperms is continuously increasing, and presently the number approximately stands at 17,500 species.
The main issue is that whatever the floristic works have been done or are being carried out are in small phases exclusive to small areas which hardly get combined together. Hence, while talking of making Flora of India we need to pay attention to combining all the ocean of existing data, along with updating it by new works and analyze the same. And this should not be only extended courtesy to angiosperms alone, but the entire spectrum of cryptogams also need to be involved. Maybe all the taxonomists can sign a petition and submit it to the NBA for developing such a national level program.
There are enormous data available with each of the botanists/ scientists working in India. However, nobody wants to share those information to a common pool. Everybody wants to keep the information available with them as a personal pride. Of course that should be...! Once we have to be come down from the ivory tower of bad prestige, Flora of India will be finished within no time. India has that much capacity and strength of knowledge that I am sure..
"Patience pays"! Urgent intervention from Govt. of india is needed for this uphill task. Thourough documentation only would helps to attract the 'e-generation' to work in serious taxonomic research.
http://grassnest.wordpress.com/article-alert/
- Badges
- Science topic
- Similar topics
- Biological Science
- Botany