EnvironmentSunday, 12 July 2026·The Hindu - Environment
India’s 2025 biodiversity update: 709 fauna and 353 flora taxa added by ZSI and BSI
India’s 2025 biodiversity release added 709 fauna species and 353 flora taxa, with Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh leading key discoveries.
Key highlights
Direct fact
In June 2025, Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav released the Zoological Survey of India and Botanical Survey of India findings in Kolkata, showing that India added 709 new fauna records and 353 flora taxa to its biodiversity database.
Key specifics
- Of the 709 fauna additions, 483 were species new to science and 226 were first-time records in India.
- India’s total faunal biodiversity reached 1,05,953 species, according to the ZSI statement.
- Kerala led the state-wise fauna count with 98 new animal species, followed by West Bengal (76), Karnataka (67) and Arunachal Pradesh (65).
- Among animal groups, Hymenoptera contributed 106 additions, followed by Lepidoptera (65), Diptera (64), Arachnida (64), Coleoptera (55) and Pisces (50).
- Among the 353 flora taxa, 221 were new to science and 132 were new distributional records for India; Arunachal Pradesh led plant discoveries with 49.
Exam lens
TNPSC Environment and biodiversity question type: match the following and factual recall, ZSI, BSI, 709 fauna, 353 flora, Kolkata release, June 30, 2025, Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh as leading states.