Ecoregions of the world, spanning all land area (terrestrial) of the planet, were first defined and mapped in 2001[1] and subsequently revised in 2017.[2] Later,freshwater ecoregions[3] andmarine ecoregions[4] of the world were identified. WithinIndia, there are 46 terrestrial ecoregions, 14 freshwater ecoregions, and 6 marine ecoregions.
The terrestrial ecoregions of the world include 45 ecoregions that fall entirely or partly within the boundaries ofIndia. These ecoregions fall within two biogeographic realms:Indomalayan andPalearctic. They also fall under tenbiomes:Deserts and Xeric Shrublands, Flooded Grasslands and Savannas,Mangroves,Montane Grasslands and Shrublands,Temperate Broadleaf and Mixed Forests,Temperate Conifer Forests,Tropical and Subtropical Coniferous Forests,Tropical and Subtropical Dry Broadleaf Forests,Tropical and Subtropical Grasslands, Savannas and Shrublands, andTropical and Subtropical Moist Broadleaf Forests. The ecoregionRock and Ice is not included under any specific biome or biogeographic realm.[2]
Freshwater ecoregions of the world have been defined[3] as "a large area encompassing one or more freshwater systems with a distinct assemblage of natural freshwater communities and species. The freshwater species, dynamics, and environmental conditions within a given ecoregion are more similar to each other than to those of surrounding ecoregions, and together form a conservation unit." The following 14 freshwater ecoregions occur within India.
Marine ecoregions of the world have been described across the worlds oceans and seas.[4] India's seas are in theWestern Indo-Pacificmarine realm. This includes the following four provinces and sixmarine ecoregions.
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The following are the ecoregions in India that are included in the Global 200 ecoregions:[5]