Biodiversity of India:A Wiki Resource for Indian Biodiversity

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Welcome to Biodiversity of India A Wiki resource for Indian Biodiversity Over 200 species, 60 stories, 100 videos and much more.

What is this project about? Nelumbo nucifera (Sacred Lotus) - the National Flower of India. Find out more national and state symbols of India here We strongly believe that knowledge is the first step towards any kind of change. Thus, we created this Biodiversity Of India website. The BOI website, part of the Project Brahma Initiative, is an open-source, community driven project, much like Wikipedia, where anyone - regardless of their religion, nationality, language, expertise - can contribute their knowledge of India's biodiversity. Why do we need to do this? India is a megadiverse nation, housing around 10% of world's species. India also has a rich cultural heritage going back thousands of years. Much of Indian biodiversity is intricately related to the socio-cultural practices of the land. Unfortunately, due to population explosion, climate change and lax implementation of environmental policies, several species are facing the threat of extinction. Not only does this affect the food chain, but also the livelihood and the culture of millions of Indians who depend on local biodiversity. It is vital that the common man is made aware of the domino effect of species loss and what we stand to lose. Project Brahma aims to create such awareness, by increasing participation of the people in biodiversity documentation and conservation. In addition, there are several organizations carrying out notable conservation work in India. Our aim is also to create a central resource where such organizations can access all kinds of knowledge about Indian biodiversity. We imagine that the Biodiversity of India website will significantly enhance environmental conservation efforts in India. Learn more about the need and aims of this project...

Most popular articles on BOI A painting by the renowned Warli painter Jivya Soma Mashe Yellow footed green pigeon (Treron phoenicoptera) - the state bird of Maharashtra Biodiversity hotspots in India: Information about the three threatened regions for Indian biodiversity. Official flora and fauna of India: Know your state's birds, animals, trees and flowers. Native cow varieties of India Principal crops of India and problems with Indian agriculture Why Lord Ganesha has a mouse as his vehicle: The stories behind the mythological story. Warli tribe and their tribal art List of Indian medicinal plants: A giant list of ~1000 commercially traded medicinal plants with their taxonomic classification. List of Indian mammal species: A giant list of ~350 mammalian species which call India their home. Forest cover in India: Analyses of the data regarding forest acreage in India. List of Other NGOs and databases working in environmental conservation Big compilation of videos related to environmental conservation Check out more articles here

Why conserve India's biodiversity? These writeups are a part of Division:Community pages section of this website where we have tried to document the myriad connections between India's flora and fauna and its peoples. Through these writeups, we hope to provide a reason, a purpose for the common man to start thinking about biodiversity conservation. Biodiversity conservation in Uttarakhand Contributed by: Mohan Rajinikanth Valley of Flowers In several Himalayan states like Uttarakhand, ecology is highly synonymous with the religions practiced. In the nine districts in Uttarakhand, there are 168 sacred natural sites including 75 sacred forests, 74 sacred groves, 10 water bodies and 9 pastures. In some cases, entire forest areas are dedicated to deities. Let alone resource exploitation, trespassing into the sacred forests is considered a taboo, punishable by the wrath of the deity. As a result, forest areas flourish untouched. The only occasion these areas are accessed, with minimal invasion, is during annual festivals. Continue reading... Fig trees in Rome, Greece and in Christianity Contributed by: Gaurav Moghe Prophet Isaiah Figs have been consumed with relish since ancient times, even by the Romans and Greeks. According to an ancient myth, fig was the favorite fruit of Bacchus, the Lord of Carnival and the Lord of Wine. Fig juices were also used in religious ceremonies. In addition, the fig tree is widely employed in Roman symbolic traditions, as the twin founders of Rome - Romulus and Remus - when they were infants, were transported by the River deity Tiberinus in a basket made from roots of the fig tree. The fig tree, in Rome, was considered an emblem of the future prosperity of the race. Continue reading... Man made radiation and nature's resilience Contributed by: Mohan Rajinikanth The 1000-year old cherry tree near Fukushima In 1986, the worst nuclear accident in history- the Chernobyl disaster- occurred in Ukraine. It was the result of the explosion of a nuclear reactor built to generate electric power. The blast splattered radioactive material across 200,000 square kilometers of Belarus, Ukraine, and Russia. Many plants and animals died quickly from radiation overdose. Pine tree needles withered away, earning an area near the destroyed reactor, the name ‘Red Forest’. More than a third of a million people were evacuated. A 60 mile exclusion zone was created. But with the migration of people, began a spectacular ingress and resurgence of animals and plants. Continue reading... A total of 64 articles in the database as of this moment. For the complete list, click on any article, then scroll down on the subsequent page Also read: A vulnerable country on a fragile planet by Gaurav Moghe, Coordinator, Project Brahma Home remedies for common health problems by Dr. Daya Tilwe, Dept. of Botany, ICLES College Plants and animals important to the Koli-Agri community in Maharashtra by Dr. Daya Tilwe, Dept. of Botany, ICLES College Biodiversity hotspots in India by Gaurav Moghe See more such stories in our Division:Community pages. We encourage you to contribute some too! Want to make a new entry? Edit existing entries? Click here

More stories and articles on India's environmental tradition Check out the following links and get to know this wiki better! Recently created articles Indian foods to avoid during pregnancy Missions of the National Action Plan on Climate Change Native cow varieties of India Chanakya's advice on being invincible Estimated numbers of animal species in India Warli tribe and their tribal art Official flora and fauna of India Hornbills and their role in maintenance of rainforests … further results More articles Page title Author Topic Species group, if any Wolf in Indian culture Gaurav Moghe Mythology and religion Mammals Why the Ketaki flower was cursed by gods Gaurav Moghe Mythological stories Plants Why Lord Ganesha has a mouse as his vehicle Gaurav Moghe Mythology and religion Mammals Warli tribe and their tribal art Gaurav Moghe Tribal mythology Not noted Varaha (boar) avatar of Vishnu Gaurav Moghe Mythological stories Mammals Uses of Neem plant Wikipedia Uses of biodiversity Plants Uses of Henna plant Gaurav Moghe Uses of biodiversity Plants Tulsi plant in Indian culture Gaurav Moghe Mythology and religion Plants The Soliga tribe of Karnataka and its intimate relationship with nature Gaurav Moghe Indigenous practices Not noted The Asiatic Lion in Indian culture Gaurav Moghe Mythology and religion Mammals Testcommunitypage Serpents in Indian culture Gaurav Moghe Mythology and religion Reptiles Satyanarayan pooja and biodiversity Gaurav Moghe Mythology and religion Mammals Samudra manthan and the Kurma avatar of Vishnu Wikipedia Mythological stories Not noted Salman Khan and the sacred Blackbuck episode Gaurav Moghe Indigenous practices Mammals Reference library Collaborative Reference Library Not noted Principal crops of India and problems with Indian agriculture Gaurav Moghe Biodiversity data Plants Other NGOs and environmental websites Collaborative Reference Library Not noted Olive Ridley turtles, the fishermen of Orissa and the OMRCC Gaurav Moghe Locals vs conservation Reptiles Official flora and fauna of India Gaurav Moghe Biodiversity data Not noted … further results Only 20 articles are listed here. For more, click on (further results) on the bottom right corner of the table above.

Environmental and biodiversity related videos (and you can add some too!) We hope to create one of the largest repositories of biodiversity-related videos available online. This section currently houses over 100 videos on topics ranging from effects of climate change to education and from interviews and talks to Youtube channels of national and international NGOs. Go ahead, explore our vast collection and feel free to add more videos in appropriate sections! See More Videos here... Featured Videos Animal and Plant behavior Climate change and its impacts Interaction between humans and biodiversity Interviews and Talks YouTube channels of other NGOs

Beta sections, still in development! Division:Plants Documenting scientific and traditional information about ~1000 commercially traded medicinal plant species in India Division:Mammals Documenting scientific and traditional information about ~350 mammalian species in India Division:Education Creating interactive, Wikiversity-style quizzes and educational material for young kids. Reference Library A collection of links of various sorts - environmental blogs, Indian NGOs, issue-specific resources, books etc. We are interested in getting volunteers for building these sections. If you are interested, please contact us at admin at projectbrahma dot org

Contact us! Comments, ideas or questions? We would love to hear from you! Contact us at admin at projectbrahma dot org