The following figures highlight the biodiversity significance of the region (Hegde 2000, FSI, 2003) :
1. 51 Forest types are found in the region broadly classified into six major forest types viz.,
tropical moist deciduous forests, tropical semi evergreen forests, tropical wet evergreen
forests, subtropical forests, temperate forests and alpine forests
2. Out of the 9 important vegetation types of India, 6 are found in the North Eastern region.
3. These forests harbour 80,000 out of 15,000 species of flowering plants . These include
• 40 out of 54 species of gymnosperms
• 500 out of 1012 species of Pteridophytes
• 825 out of 1145 species of orchids
• 80 out of 90 species of rhododendrons
• 60 out of 110 species of bamboo
• 25 out of 56 species of canes
4. In terms of floral species richness the highest diversity is reported from the states of Arunachal
Pradesh and Sikkim amongst the North Eastern States as shown in the following table
State Species richness (flowering plants)
Arunachal Pradesh 5000
Sikkim ± 4500
Meghalaya ± 3500
Assam ± 3010
Manipur ± 2500
Nagaland ± 2250
Mizoram ± 2200
Tripura ± 1600
Scenario of Forest Cover in North East India (Areas in Sq. km.)