Rich biodiversity of Northeast India needs conservation

Northeast India, a mega-biodiversity centre and a hotspot, comprises eight states, viz. Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Ma-nipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. It occupies 7.7% of India's total geographical area supporting 50% of the flora (ca. 8000 species), of which 31.58% (ca. 2526 species) is endemic. It is a transitional zone between the Indian, Indo-Burman-Malaysian and Indo-Chinese regions. It is also a part of the Vavilovian centre of biodiversity and origin of many important cultivated plant species and some domesticated animals. The region supports a rich biodiversity spanning from tropical rainforests to alpine scrubs. Takhtajan describes the region as the 'cradle of flowering plants' because of its diversified angiosperms. This rich biodiversity has a significant role in the maintenance of the ecosystem. Besides, the biodiversity of the region is used ethnologically by locals for various socio-economic and developmental purposes. The region is rich in orchids, ferns, oaks (Quercus spp.), bamboos, rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.), magnolias (Magnolia spp.), etc.