Botanical Survey of India, Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre, established on 30th March 1972 with prime objective of intensive and extensive botanical exploration and documentation of flora of the Islands thereby enriching the herbarium and the museum of the Centre. Among all twelve regional centers of BSI, Andaman & Nicobar Regional Centre holds the credit of covering one of the most remote and insular floristic hotspots of the country.

Apart from survey and plant exploration in the Islands, this centre is also concentrating on environmental impact assessment studies, flora of Barren Islands (volcanic), Grasslands of Nancowry group of Islands and mangrove vegetation. Above all, the ethno-botanical studies on aboriginal tribes of the islands are quite interesting and noteworthy. Most of the locally used plant species are yet to be screened or analyzed for their potential uses. Therefore, they are important for the future of mankind.

These objectives are being achieved through frequent survey and collection tours in different islands in different seasons. These studies have resulted in publication of more than 350 research papers and books like Flora of A & N Islands (Vol. 1) and Flora of Great Nicobar Islands, Pteriodhytes of Andaman & Nicobar islands and Mangroves of Andaman & Nicobar Islands: Taxonomy and Ecology. The second and third volume of flora of A & N Islands will be published very shortly. Scientists and staff of the Regional Centre are taking effective measures to collect and conserve the germplasm of rare, endangered and threatened plant species. Environmental Impact Assessment studies on Kalpong Hydrpo-Electric Project have contributed in the discovery of new taxa and recollection of rare and endemic plant species.

HERBARIUM : Through a series of about 250 intensive and extensive exploration, covering about 80% of the angiosperm plant wealth of the Islands, a herbarium with internationally recognized acronym PBL has been established. It has ca 33,000 dried, mounted and preserved plant specimens collected from different parts of A & N Islands and that of South-East Asian Countries. In this Herbarium about 140 families of flowering plants are represented. It comprises a significant number of rare specimens collected by some of the pioneer plant collectors viz., Col. Robert Kyd (1791). J. W. Helfer (1839), W. S. Kurz (1866), David Prain (1889) and Sir George King (1890). The recent collections, especially of N.P. Balakrishnan, T.A. Rao, M. K. V. Rao, K. Thothathri, N. G. Nair, N. Bhargava, B. K. Sinha, P. Lakshminarsimhan, S. K. Srivastava & P.S.N.Rao, P.V Sreekumar, R.P. Pandey, S. Kumar, C. Murugan, K. P. Rajesh, M.Y.Kamble, Jagadeesh Ram, L.J. Singh, etc have further enriched the herbarium. The herbarium also holds 97 type specimens of new taxa discovered since the inception of this Regional Centre.

MUSEUM: More than 400 exhibits including pickled specimens of Carpological collections, medicinal plants, rare orchids, ethno-botanical collections, sea-grasses, sea weeds and botanically important specimens have been displayed. Apart from this, several laminated colour photographs depicting endemic species and vegetation pattern of the Islands have been displayed in the Museum.

LIBRARY: At present the library has about 5000 classical books dealing with different aspects of floristic, plant taxonomy, ethnobotany, phytogeography and environmental sciences and many of the source data books like Index Kewensis, Pflanzenreich, De Candolle’s Prodromus, and sets of Indian as well as foreign journals like Kew Bulletin, Blumea, Garden’s Bulleting Singapore, etc. In addition, general reference books like Encyclopedia Britannica, Flora Malesiana, Wealth of India, etc. are also present. The Library is currently subscribing 20 foreign and 30 Indian journals. This is the only Library in the A & N Islands that supports research in systematic Botany and allied fields. This library also has some Hindi books.

EXPERIMNTAL BOTANIC GARDEN: An experimental Garden is being maintained by this centre near Dhanikhari Dam area.

Dhanikhari Experimental Garden-cum-Arboretum, Nayashahar, about 16 Km from Port Blair, lays particular emphasis on ex-situ conservation and multiplication of rare, endangered and endemic species of the Islands. Spread over an area of 30 ha, this garden is also a natural abode of many of the importance endemic plants including Orchids. Besides concentrating on the plants of adjacent areas of the Dam, rare and endangered plants collected from different areas of mainland are also being introduced in the garden. Some of the noteworthy plants successfully propagated in the garden are Geophila reniformis (rare), Mangifera andamanica (endemic), Globba pauciflora (rare) and Etlingera fenzlii (rare & endemic), Stemona curtisii( Rare), Thottea celebica ( Rare), Sphaeropteris albo-setacea (endemic), Psychotria andamanica (endemic), Psychotria pendula (Rare and endemic), etc.

The Head of Office
Botanical Survey of India
Haddo post, Port Blair - 744 102
Phone No: 03192 - 233224
Fax No: 03192 - 230120 E-mail: anc[at]bsi[dot]gov[dot]in, bsianrc1972[at]rediffmail[dot]com

Under current scientific activities of the Regional Centre, some of the protected areas/ remote islands are taken up by the centre for floristic assessment as mentioned below:

After completion of above ongoing projects, the following area will be surveyed for documentation and conservation of of plant wealth of Andaman & Nicobar Islands.

Based on the intensive and extensive survey, the following books are published:

Besides 350 scientific research papers are published by the scientists in various international and national journals. Noteworthy output is described 3 genera and 80 species, which are new to science.

SOME NEW TAXA DESCRIBED

The DirectorBotanical Survey of India
3^rd MSO Building, DF Block, Sector - I
5^th & 6^th Floor, CGO Complex
Salt Lake City, Kolkata-700 064
Email: bsi_headquarter[at]rediffmail[dot]com

The general public may send their suggestions or query, if any, to the office email id anc[at]bsi[dot]gov[dot]in, bsianrc1972[at]rediffmail[dot]com.

Thank You..!!