Union Environment Minister Inaugurates Animal Taxonomy Summit 2026 as Zoological Survey of India Marks 111 Years of Scientific Excellence
By Suman Munshi | Chief Editor | IBG NEWS
Kolkata, June 30: The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) celebrated its 111th Foundation Day with the inauguration of the three-day Animal Taxonomy Summit (ATS 4.0), reaffirming India’s commitment to biodiversity research, wildlife conservation, and scientific innovation.
The summit, being held from June 30 to July 2, was inaugurated by Bhupender Yadav in the presence of Guest of Honour Swapan Dasgupta, Chandrima Bhattacharya and Manoj Oraon.
Established in 1916 and headquartered in Kolkata, the Zoological Survey of India functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and remains the country’s premier institution dedicated to faunal exploration, taxonomy, and biodiversity conservation.
A major highlight of the celebration was the nationwide 111-Hours Hackathon on Traditional Knowledge for Biodiversity Conservation, organised to bridge indigenous ecological knowledge with modern technology. The initiative attracted 360 registered teams, of which 192 teams qualified for regional competitions held across ZSI’s regional centres. The winning teams from 16 regional centres advanced to the national semi-finals at Dehradun, with the top five finalists competing in the grand finale held at the Dhano Dhanyo Auditorium in Kolkata on June 29.
During the inaugural ceremony, the Union Environment Minister released the landmark annual publications Animal Discoveries–2025 and Plant Discoveries–2025, jointly prepared by ZSI and the Botanical Survey of India.
According to Animal Discoveries–2025, India recorded 709 new faunal records during the year, including 483 species new to science and 226 species documented in India for the first time. With these additions, India’s documented faunal wealth has reached 1,05,953 species, further strengthening the country’s position among the world’s leading megadiverse nations.
Among the states, Kerala registered the highest number of new species with 98 discoveries, followed by West Bengal (76), Karnataka (67) and Arunachal Pradesh (65).
The Minister also unveiled several important scientific publications, including the bilingual Abstract Book of Animal Taxonomy Summit 2026, the special ATS edition of the Records of the Zoological Survey of India, Fauna of West Bengal, Jeev Darpan, Faunal Diversity of Dry Deciduous Forests of West Bengal, and Faunal Diversity of Protected Areas of West Bengal, covering wildlife sanctuaries including Bethuadahari, Bibhutibhushan, Ramnabagan, Ballavpur and Raiganj.
In another significant development, ZSI launched Version 3.0 of the Fauna of India Checklist, a comprehensive digital database documenting 105,953 species and subspecies across 121 taxonomic inventories. The updated checklist, led by Dr. Dhriti Banerjee with contributions from 185 taxonomic experts, will now be updated annually, providing researchers and policymakers with an authoritative and dynamic reference on India’s faunal diversity. Insects—including beetles, moths and bees—constitute the largest component of the country’s biodiversity, while fishes represent the most diverse vertebrate group.
The Foundation Day celebrations also witnessed the launch of the PaleoIndia Portal, a first-of-its-kind national digital platform jointly developed by ZSI and the National Centre for Sustainable Coastal Management in collaboration with the Geological Survey of India. The portal digitally maps fossil fauna across all 28 States and 8 Union Territories and currently hosts information on over 5,000 fossil specimens representing mammals, reptiles, birds, fishes, amphibians, molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms, foraminifera and ichnofossils. Designed with a real-time data upload system, the platform will also facilitate contributions from researchers and citizen scientists.
The inaugural programme concluded with a cultural performance portraying India’s rich environmental heritage, tracing ecological consciousness from Bengal’s Mangal Kavyo traditions and the worship of Maa Chandi to the universal humanitarian philosophy of Sri Chaitanya, highlighting the enduring relationship between nature, culture and science.
Now in its fourth consecutive edition, the Animal Taxonomy Summit has brought together more than 500 scientists, researchers and delegates from across the country. Over the next two days, participants will deliberate through 10 technical sessions, panel discussions and poster presentations focusing on Taxonomy, Systematics, and Faunal Diversity & Conservation. The recommendations emerging from the summit will be submitted to the Government of India to support future biodiversity conservation strategies and environmental policymaking.
Releasing the event details, Dr. Dhriti Banerjee, Director of the Zoological Survey of India, said the summit reflects India’s growing scientific leadership in biodiversity documentation and conservation while encouraging greater collaboration between researchers, institutions and policymakers to safeguard the country’s rich natural heritage.
