Wildlife, as the name suggests, is that living component of nature, which is untamed by man. This natural resource plays an important role in maintaining ecological balance and healthy environment in addition to its aesthetic and cultural values.  The Indian peninsula is a continent in itself, whose geographical diversity has encouraged the flourishing of a whole range of wildlife with over 350 species of mammals and 1200 species of birds in the country. The Indian sub-continent is gloriously rich in its amazing variety of wildlife, from teeming insects colonies to majestic elephant herds that make India is a veritable animal lover’s paradise. India’s diverse wildlife base is the second largest in the world, and there are currently 80 National Parks and 441 Wildlife Sanctuaries established here.

In Punjab conditions were favorable and all types of life flourished without any limiting factor but increasing interference of man on natural habitat resulted in devastation of wild flora and fauna. ‘Wildland’ is an essential prerequisite for wildlife support and propagation but present Punjab is in short of both. Major setback to wildlife has also been due to the taming of Punjab’s land resources for agricultural, residential and industrial purposes.

The principal habitats found in the state are:

1) The cropland & grassland ecosystem - dominant
2) The fresh water aquatic ecosystem

§        Wetlands

§        Rivers and canals

§        Seasonal rivulets (choes in Shivalik) Forest ecosystem

§        Open scrub forests – parts of Shivaliks and Bir forests

§        Chirpine forests in northern Shivaliks

§        Bamboo plantations in parts of Shivaliks

3) The semi-arid ecosystem (characterized by sand dunes)
4) Saline & water logged areas
5) Areas under Plantations 

Wild Flora 
Based on its floristic diversity the state of Punjab can be divided into four main zones.  These are:

Ø      The grassy plains which constitute the major part of the State and represent the grassland ecosystem modified to croplands.  

Ø      The Shivalik woodlands, which are a part of the foothills of new fold Himalayan mountains and are spread at the northern end of 3 districts (Ropar, Hoshiarpur & Gurdaspur).  Spread out in a 5966 km² long area , this is the only natural area in the state  with high biodiversity. 

Ø      The semi-Arid region spread in the districts of Bathinda, Ferozepur, Sangrur, Mansa, Muktsar, Faridkot and parts of Moga.

Ø      The State Wetlands, which comprise a total area of 8.39 sq. km. of natural  wetlands and 147.39 sq. km. of manmade wetlands and lakes.  These areas are not only a source of fresh water but also act as ground water rechargers and are home to a wide variety of wild flora & fauna.  The State has the distinction of having 3 Ramsar  sites (Harike, Ropar & Kanjli ).  

Based on available data, the diversity of flora in the state of Punjab is summarized as under:

Group                        No. of  reported spp.                % of total  No. of spp. 
                                                                                                     reported in India *

         Algae                                  371                                     5.00%
         Fungi                                  448                                     3.15%
         Bryophytes                            10                                      0.48%
         Pteridophytes                         26                                      2.44%
         Gymnosperms                         21                                     37.10%
         Angiosperms                        1939**                                 10.70%       

         - Grasses                             132
  - Weeds                              350
  - Medicinal Plants                  291 
  - Economically imp. plants       218
  - Forest trees                       203

Wild fauna

The diversity in flora also provides suitable habitat for diversity in fauna. The diversity of reported fauna in the State with respect to data for the entire country is summarized below:
Invertebrate Diversity 

           Group                  No. of spp.                 % of India

        Protozoa               84                        3.3%
        Porifera             Not available            
        Coelentera         Not available
        Platyhelminthes        41                      2.9% 
        Nematoda               157                     1.8%
        Annelida                 34                       3.6%
        Arthropoda             1147                    1.8%
        Molluscsa                85                      1.7%
        Echinodermata        Not found in Punjab

Vertebrate Diversity

        Pisces               112                    5.2%
        Amphibia            15                     6.7%
        Reptilia              35                     6.6%
        Aves                 442                   37%
        Mammalia          43                     7.7%

Rare & Threatened Species

A summary of rare, threatened and vulnerable species of flora and fauna  in punjab is presented below:

                          Source : TERI, 2001 – unpublished; ZSI – personal comm.; Sharma, 1990
CR-Critically endangered, EN-Endangered  ,VU-Vulnerable ,  NT- Near  threatened , VR- Very Rare, R- Rare
IUCN-International Union for Conservation of Nature and Natural resources CITES-Convention on the International trade in endangered Species of Flora and Fauna
WLPA-Wildlife protection Act ,1972 , ZSI-Zoological Survey of India
Sch- Schedule 
Ap- Appendix  

There is a growing awareness of the necessity of conservation and preservation of India’s wildlife. Conservation efforts have found a prominent place in India’s wildlife protection policies and so as in Punjab, and the concept of biosphere reserves and eco-development projects are on the increase. Grass root environment consciousness is also on the increase, and more and more people are stepping in towards contributing to the conservation of wildlife in India.