Biodiversity Documentation for Kerala: Lichens (Part III)

Proper documentation and investigation of biodiversity has become essential from the point of view of conservation and sustainable utilization, especially after the 1992 declaration on Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). The Kerala State, forming the southern part of the Biodiversity hotpot in Western Ghats, is rich in flora and fauna including several endamics. The literature on various aspects of plants and animals is being generated by research and academic institutes over the years. However, there had been no conserted effort to compile this scattered information as a database. The Western Ghats Cell of the Department of Planning and Economic Affairs, Govt. of Kerala, to be congratulated to initiate a programme in documenting the biodiversity of  Kerala and approved a project to be implemented by KFRI. The result is the series on the Biodiversity Documentation for Kerala covering various groups of plants and animals, which is the first attempt in any of the states in India. The Handbook on Lichens, one of the least known and documented groups of plants provide all the information from Kerala along with the related literature citations.