BOTANICAL SURVEY

 BOTANICAL SURVEY OF INDIA resource: science reporter June 2012

The Botanical Survey of India has its Headquarters at Kolkata with Pharmacognosy, Cryptogamy, Ecology, Plant Chemistry, Flora Cell, Palynology, Library, Publication Unit and Technical Section located at Kolkata/Howrah. Besides, four other unit of the Survey, viz., AJC Bose Indian Botanic Garden, Howrah and  Central National Herbarium. Howrah, Central Botanical Laboratory. Howrah and the Industrial Section, Indian Museum, Kolkata. In addition, the Survey has 11 Regional Centers in different bio-geographical region of the country.

 The Survey is currently engaged in following activities to achieve these objective:

1. Survey and exploration of plants, especially in fragile ecosystems and protected areas, including Antarctica
2.  Documentation of plant diversity at national, regional, state, district and ecosystem level. Documentation of indigenous knowledge of plant resources
3.  Maintaining national botanical collections and museum exhibits centrally at Central National Herbarium, Howrah and museum exhibits centrally at Central National Herbarium, Howrah and Indian Museum, Industrial Museum, Kolkata and all its Centre Offices located in different regions of India
4. Cultivation, multiplication and ex situ conservation of threatened, endemic and economically important species
5. Pharmacognostic studies on species listed in Schedule VI of the Indian Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972: Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES) and Negative List of Export (PN-47)
6.  Capacity building in taxonomy
7.  Environmental Impact Assessment on flora (wherever specifically asked by the administrative ministry)
8.  Digitization of herbarium specimens
9.  Advisory services in the field of identification, distribution, status and ex situ conservation of plant species
10. Dissemination of scientific information related to different aspect of Indian flora through hard copy publications of Floras, Journals and other thematic publications