Endangered Orchids and Their Conservation in North East India

Northeast India, a mega-diversity centre and a hotspot, comprises eight states, viz., Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura. It occupies 7.7 % of India’s total geographical area supporting 50 % of the flora (ca. 8000 species), of which 31.58 % (ca. 2526 species) are endemic. The region is rich in orchids, ferns, oaks (Quercus spp.), bamboos, rhododendrons (Rhododendron spp.), magnolias (Magnolia spp.), etc. Orchids, believed to have evolved in this region (Kumaria, Tandon, J North East Study IV: 57–71, 2007), form a very noticeable feature of the vegetation here. About 1331 species of orchids, belonging to 186 genera, were reported from India; Northeast India sustains the highest number with about 856 species. Amongst them, 34 species of orchids are identified amongst the threatened plants of India and as many as endemic to different states of this region. Out of the eight orchid habitat regions in India, the two most important areas, namely, the Eastern Himalayas and the Northeastern Region, fall within the political boundaries of Northeastern Region.