Written by Sofiya Shahiwala
World Environment Day is celebrated every year on June 5 across the globe. This year, the theme of World Environment Day 2020 is to celebrate biodiversity. Over a million species are on the verge of extinction, which gives us a very reasonable motive to know a little more about our country’s diversified natural heritage.
Each species, no matter how little, plays a significant role in the ecosystem. SciKnowTech Team brings to you yet another article celebrating the environmental diversity of our country!
Let us go through some fun facts and get to know a little more about our country!
- India is the only country in the world where tigers and lions exist in their natural habitat.
- Over 33% of the plant species present in India are found nowhere in the world.
- About half of the Earth’s aquatic plants are present in India!
- The Kharai Camels, known for their ability to swim in the water, are present only in India (Kachchh, Gujarat).
- India is credited to have some of the wettest, driest, and coldest regions in the Earth.
- Did you know? The lion was the national animal of India until 1972.
- The relict dragonfly is found in the Himalayas, whose only other species are found in Japan.
We have such a diversified, naturally existing habitat. However, it is astonishing that only 1% of India’s coastline (total: 7516.6 km) is protected. It is believed that every 20 minutes, one species gets extinct on Earth. This is a grave concern, and the protection of animals’ and plants’ species should be more stressed.
As empowered citizens, we should do our best to protect the animal and plant life of our country.
Happy World Environment Day !