India adds 709 new species to its faunal database in 2025, 353 taxa to its flora

📌 Summary:

• India added 709 new species to its fauna in 2025 — comprising 483 species new to science and 226 species recorded for the first time in India
• The country also added 353 taxa to its flora, of which 14 are infraspecific taxa
• Discoveries and new records were compiled by the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and Botanical Survey of India (BSI)
• Released by Union Environment, Forest and Climate Change Minister Bhupender Yadav in Kolkata on June 30, 2026
• India's total faunal biodiversity now stands at 1,05,953 species, reaffirming its status as one of the world's premier mega-diverse nations

🎯 UPSC Relevance: GS3 Environment & Biodiversity — India as a mega-diverse country, roles of ZSI and BSI, and biodiversity documentation.

📝 Prelims Facts:

• ZSI (est. 1916, Kolkata) documents faunal diversity; BSI (est. 1890, Kolkata) documents floral diversity
• 2025 additions: 709 faunal species (483 new to science + 226 new records); 353 floral taxa
• India's total faunal count: 1,05,953 species
• India is one of 17 megadiverse countries

🔑 Key Term: Megadiverse country — a nation harbouring a majority of Earth's species and high numbers of endemic species; India is among the 17 recognised megadiverse nations.