Government Institutes

India with its varied agro-climatic conditions and topography has been considered as the botanical garden of the world. Our herbal wealth constitutes about 5000 species of known medicinal and aromatic plants. The increase in population, rapid expansion of the area under food and commercial crops, deforestation, extension of urban area etc., are the cause for fast depletion of our herbal wealth. The Indian Council of Agricultural Research established National Research Centre for Medicinal & Aromatic Plants on November 24, 1992 in a 20.2 hectare irrigated land at Boriavi in Anand district of Gujarat.

NBPGR is the nodal organization in India for exchange, quarantine, collection, conservation, evaluation and the systematic documentation of plant genetic resources.

National Bureau of Animal Genetic Resources and National Institute of Animal genetics were set up on 21st September, 1984. At present the Bureau has fully developed Information System on Livestock and Poultry Genetic Resources. The Bureau is engaged in the characterization and evaluation of Livestock and Poultry genetic resources of the country. Several State Agricultural Universities are collaborating in the characterization work through Network Projects on survey of Animal Genetic Resources.

The Zoological Survey of India was established on 1st July, 1916 to promote survey, exploration and research leading to the advancement in our knowledge of the various aspects of the exceptionally rich animal life of the erstwhile 'British Indian Empire'. Initially the Survey acquired the zoological collections of more than a century old from the former museum (1814-1875) of the Asiatic Society of Bengal and the Zoological Section of the Indian Museum (1875-1916) in Calcutta. With the increasing interest in life sciences and with the advent of the country's Five-Year Plans, the expansion programme of the Survey was initiated. The Survey has so far established sixteen Regional and Field Stations, and has developed into a major National Institution.

The primary objectives of Botanical Survey of India is to survey the plant resources of the country and to undertake and complete taxonomic studies of all the flora of the country. Another objective is to enlist the endangered species, to undertake measures for the effective conservation and to collect and maintain germplasm and gene bank of endangered, patent and vulnerable species.

Biodiversity is a multi-disciplinary subject involving diverse activities and actions. The stakeholders in biological diversity include the Central Government, State Government, institutions of local self-governmental organizations, industry, etc. One of the major challenges before India lies in adopting an instrument, which helps realise the objectives of equitable sharing of benefits enshrined in the Convention on Biological Diversity and thus the Biodiversity Authority of India was created.