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Relevance: GS Paper III — Biodiversity and Conservation Source: ZSI / BSI / MoEFCC, June 2026

India’s Wildlife Family Grows: 709 New Animals and 353 Plants Discovered

1 · What happened

On June 30, 2026, India officially welcomed hundreds of new species to its national records. The Union Environment Minister released the annual Animal Discoveries 2025 and Plant Discoveries 2025 reports in Kolkata. These documents are compiled by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the Botanical Survey of India (BSI).

The numbers are impressive: scientists added 709 animal records and 353 plant types. This brings India’s total officially recorded animal species to 1,05,953, cementing our position as one of the world’s few “mega-diverse” countries.

2 · Understanding the New Discoveries

When scientists announce “new discoveries,” they mean two things. Some are “new to science,” meaning no human has ever documented them before anywhere on Earth. Others are “new records for India,” meaning the species was known in other countries, but we just found it living in India for the very first time.

709
Total New Animal Records
483
Animals Entirely New to Science
1,05,953
India’s Total Known Animals
353
Total New Plant Discoveries

  • The Hotspots: Most animal discoveries happened in Kerala (98), West Bengal, and Karnataka. For plants, Arunachal Pradesh led the pack. Generally, the Western Ghats and the Eastern Himalayas remain India’s richest treasure chests of biodiversity.
  • What kind of animals? Insects made up the bulk of the animal discoveries, especially wasps, bees, and ants.
  • Cool New Species: Scientists found a new Himalayan bat and a unique snake named Irwin’s wolf snake. On the plant side, they found wild relatives of orchids and legumes, which are incredibly useful for agricultural scientists trying to breed stronger crops.

UPSC Prelims Quick Facts
ZSI & BSI The Zoological Survey of India (animals, set up 1916) and Botanical Survey of India (plants, set up 1890). Both are based in Kolkata.
Mega-diverse Nation A title given to a small group of countries that hold the vast majority of the Earth’s plant and animal species.
Biological Diversity Act, 2002 India’s main law to protect its bio-resources and ensure local communities get a fair share of profits if companies use their local plants/knowledge.
Three-Tier Structure The law creates authorities at the National (NBA), State (SBB), and Local village level (BMC).
People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) Local ledgers kept by villages (BMCs) to record all local plants, animals, and traditional knowledge.
30×30 Target A global promise (Kunming-Montreal framework) to protect 30% of the Earth’s land and oceans by the year 2030.

MCQ Practice
Q. Consider the following statements regarding India’s biodiversity framework:

  1. The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) was established in 1916 and is headquartered in Kolkata.
  2. Under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) are prepared by the State Biodiversity Boards.
  3. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework includes a pledge to protect 30% of the world’s land and oceans by 2030.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 and 2 only    (b) 2 and 3 only    (c) 1 and 3 only    (d) All of the above

Answer: (c) 1 and 3 only

  • Statement 1 is Correct: ZSI is indeed based in Kolkata and was founded in 1916.
  • Statement 2 is Incorrect (UPSC Trap): People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) are made at the lowest, local level by Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), not by the State Boards.
  • Statement 3 is Correct: The 30×30 target is the famous cornerstone of the Kunming-Montreal agreement.
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