Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
Mandate and Role in Biodiversity Documentation
ZSI is India's premier organisation for zoological taxonomy and survey work, functioning under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. Its core mandate is exploration, survey, and taxonomic research to document the diversity and distribution of India's fauna — foundational work that underpins conservation planning, protected-area management, and India's obligations under international biodiversity frameworks.
- Founded on 1 July 1916, evolving out of the Zoological Section of the Indian Museum, Calcutta (established 1875); headquartered in Kolkata with 16 regional centres.
- Its National Zoological Collections hold over 5.8 million specimens covering roughly 60,000 species, including species from neighbouring countries.
- The lepidoptera catalogue is a flagship output of this taxonomic mandate, published as a special issue of the international journal Zootaxa.
● Tracked since March 11, 2026 · last seen August 02, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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