Indian Biodiversity: Native Plants, Threats, and How to Protect Them

When we talk about Indian biodiversity, the wide variety of plant and animal life native to India, shaped by its monsoons, mountains, and forests. Also known as India’s natural heritage, it includes species found nowhere else on Earth. This isn’t just about forests and tigers—it’s about the jasmine that blooms with the first rains, the sandalwood trees once common in southern forests, and the orchids that struggle to survive in urban gardens. Indian biodiversity isn’t a distant concept. It’s in your balcony pot, your local park, and the wild patches still clinging to the edges of cities.

Many of these species are vanishing. Sandalwood, a slow-growing tree prized for its scent and medicinal oil. Also known as chandan, it’s now listed as endangered due to illegal logging and habitat loss. Its decline isn’t just an environmental issue—it’s a cultural one too. Sandalwood has been used for centuries in rituals, perfumes, and traditional medicine. Then there’s Mogra jasmine, the rainy-season flower deeply tied to Indian festivals and home gardens. Also known as Jasminum grandiflorum, it thrives only with the right humidity, soil, and care—conditions that are disappearing as cities expand. These aren’t just pretty plants. They’re part of a living system that supports bees, birds, and even the soil under your feet.

What can you do? You don’t need a forest to help. Start with your garden. Use neem oil instead of harsh chemicals—it’s a natural pesticide that protects plants without harming pollinators. Plant native species like Mogra or Vanda orchids that are adapted to local weather, not imported tropical plants that drain water and fail in monsoons. Fix compacted soil with compost. Harvest rainwater. These small steps rebuild the web of life around you. The same techniques that help your balcony garden thrive also support the bigger picture of Indian biodiversity.

Below, you’ll find real guides from gardeners who’ve faced these challenges—how to grow endangered plants at home, how to replace water-guzzling systems with smarter ones, and how to spot the signs your local flora is in trouble. No theory. No fluff. Just what works on the ground in India’s diverse climates—from the dry north to the wet south.