Environment and ecology
India listed 683 new species, 433 taxa in 2024
▪ The maximum number of new discoveries of fauna in 2024 was recorded from Kerala with 101 species, followed by Karnataka – 82.
▪ Tamil Nadu recorded 63 discoveries with 50 new species and 13 new records.
▪ The details of new discoveries and new records were released by Union Minister for Environment Forest and Climate Change.
▪ In terms of plant discoveries, the highest number of flora discovered were from Kerala (58), followed by Maharashtra (45) and Uttarakhand (40).
▪ The new plant discoveries for 2024 record 154 angiosperms, 4 pteridophytes, 15 bryophytes, 63 lichens, 156 fungi, 32 algae and 9 microbes.
▪ The hotspot regions such as Western Ghats and North-Eastern regions have contributed 35% of total discoveries.
▪ India has recorded and documented 56,177 species of plants — angiosperms, gymnosperms,
pteridophytes, bryophytes, lichens, fungi, and algae etc.
▪ The significant faunal discoveries for the year 2024 include two new genus and 37 species of
reptiles and five new species of amphibians
