Floristic Diversity and Conservation Strategies in India, Vol-I: Cryptogams and Gymnosperms (In 6 Vols.)

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The current book in six volumes has now been put forth by the Botanical Survey of India. This is probably the world’s most voluminous and exhaustive account of floristic diversity published on any area of the world of the size of India. Its publication is very opportune in another respect; it appears in the golden jubilee year of India’s independence. It covers several aspects of floristic diversity, its utility and conservation. The various chapters are authored by well known taxonomists and economic botanists of Botanical Survey of India, and some other organisations. Some chapters have been contributed by very experienced superannuated scientists of Botanical Survey of India. The book has fairly detailed account of the floristic diversity of the country, and is unique in the sense that it deals with varied facets. For example, the first volume contains chapters on different recognised plant groups of nonflowering plants and gymnosperms. The account of lower plants will inform many readers for the first time, the unique diversity in structure and life of these rather less known members of plant kingdom. The second and third volumes deal with different states in various phytogeographic regions of India. The account provides an very interesting and informative broad spectrum, as well as a comparative picture of the large diversity. Among flowering plants, greater details are provided for certain economically or botanically more important or unique groups or genera; for example, grasses (and bamboos) and legumes are specially treated in separate chapters in the fourth volume. Fourth volume also deals with economic aspects. Separate chapters are provided for some groups like agriculture, medicinal plants, and ethnobotany. Genetic diversity in crops or crop relatives is of great value. This aspect has also been dealt. Conservational aspects have been dealt with in fifth volume. Proper conservation is the ultimate objective of such studies, and the editors and authors have given close attention to this by providing descriptions of in-situ and ex-situ methods and status in variety of habitat conditions, terrestrial or aquatic in fifth volume. Some modern approaches and topics like questions of IPR or methods of biotechnology have not escaped the attention of authors. The book has several useful appendices and indices. Readers will find them handy, for ready reference to contents of these volumes as also to certain related matters. These volumes are also a good example of interdisciplinary approach and cooperative efffort in handling a topical but also very vast subject like biodiversity and its conservation. These volumes will serve as very useful guides to naturalists, biologists, and environmentalists. The data in the book are based on life-time work and experience of the authors. The contents of the book can, therefore, be taken to be quite authentic and exhaustive, if not the last word for today’s situation. The contents cover various groups of the plant kingdom, and the information should be useful for utilisation and conservation of these bioresources, and also for further critical research. The book is illustrated with numerous colour pictures; several of them are of unique habitats, plants or plant products. The book will also help in the assessment of major gaps in our knowledge in any groups of the plant kingdom or in geographic regions of the country. The book will serve as a very useful reference work for some decades and it should be welcomed by researchers in all departments related to plant resources like agriculture, forestry, indigenous systems of medicine, university botany departments, ane even for development planners.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR P.K. Hajra

Prabhat Kumar Hajra (b. January 28, 1940) received his early education at Sekenderpur, a village in Hooghly District of West Bengal and graduation from Calcutta University.  He obtained Masters Degree in Botany from Guahati University and Ph.D. degree from the same university.  From 1961 to 1992 he worked in Central National Herbarium, Calcutta, Eastern Circle, Shillong, and Northern Circle, Dehradun of Botanical Survey of India in different capacities.  He established the Sikkim Himalayan Circle of Botanical Survey of India.  He joined the Ministry of Environment and Forest, Government of India as Director Biosphere Reserve and worked during the period 1992-1993.  HE then rejoined Botanical Survey of India as Director in 1993 and retired on supre-annuation in 1998.  Since 1998 he is involved in a project sponsored jointly by the Department of Space and Biotechnology, Government of India as one of the collaborators.  He has authored manmy publications of botanical interest such as Plant wealth of Nanda Devi Biosphere Reserve, Botany of Kaziranga and Manas, Brahmakamal and its allies etc.  He has also edited a large number of books on the Flora of India.  He is the author of over 100 publications in various scientific journals.  During his intensive field survey all over India, he discovered numerous plant species that are new to science.  He has also extensively toured all over the world in connection to his scientific pursuit.  He is the author of several popular books in English as well as Hindi.

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Bibliographic information

Title
Floristic Diversity and Conservation Strategies in India, Vol-I: Cryptogams and Gymnosperms (In 6 Vols.)
Author
Edition
1st ed.
Publisher
Length
472p., Col. Plates; Figures; Tables.
Subjects