Zoological Survey of India (ZSI)
Role and Mandate
The Zoological Survey of India was established on July 1, 1916, under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC). It is India's premier institution for faunal survey, taxonomy, and systematic research. ZSI maintains the National Zoological Collections — over 1.5 million specimens — and publishes the Fauna of India series. Its regional stations are strategically located near major biodiversity hotspots, including the Eastern Himalayan Regional Centre at Shillong.
- ZSI headquarters: Kolkata; Eastern Himalayan Regional Centre: Shillong (Meghalaya).
- ZSI discovers and formally describes dozens of species new to science every year — recent years have seen 400-600 new species described annually from India.
- ZSI's State Fauna projects cover every Indian state and produce comprehensive faunal inventories.
- ZSI works in coordination with the Botanical Survey of India (BSI) to produce integrated biodiversity assessments.
● Tracked since March 11, 2026 · last seen August 02, 2026 · updates as the daily brief publishes
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