Survey of flora and fauna on the verge of extinction in the country
	15:10 IST

Lok Sabha More than 500 species, both zoological and botanical, are endangered in the country. No systematic country-wide survey has been conducted to identify flora and fauna which are on the verge of extinction in the country. The Zoological Survey of India has so far surveyed and documented 91,364 species of fauna, out of which 413 are endangered species. The Botanical Survey of India has documented 45,968 species of flora, out of which 155 are endangered species. As per the IUCN Red Data List, Salamander is not on the verge of extinction. The species is distributed in Darjeeling district of West Bengal and some of the North-Eastern States. It is protected under Scheduled II, Part I of Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972, which are designated as ‘Least Concern’ according to IUCN Red Data List. Minister of State for the Ministry of Environment and Forests (Independent charge) Shri Jairam Ramesh replied in a written question by Shri Saman Pathak in Rajya Sabha today. KP