This work is the first illustrated account of the West Himalayan ferns. The first volume contains an account of 28 fern families and 172 species and 10 hybrids. Volume 2 contains account of 16 families and 164 species and 4 hybrids.

The Himalaya, a global biodiversity hotspot, sustains about one-fifth of the humankind. Nestled within the north-western mountain ranges of the Himalaya, the Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) State harbours more than half of the biodiversity found in the Indian Himalaya. The wide expanse of State, spread across the subtropical Jammu, through the temperate Kashmir valley, to the cold arid Ladakh, is typical representative of the extensive elevational and topographical diversity encountered in the entire Himalaya. This book, the most comprehensive and updated synthesis ever made available on biodiversity of the J&K State, is a valuable addition to the biodiversity literature with global and regional relevance. The book, arranged into 7 parts, comprises of 42 chapters contributed by 87 researchers, each of whom is an expert in his/her own field of research. The precious baseline data contained in the book would form the foundation for assessing current status of knowledge about the bioresources, identify the knowledge gaps, and help prioritization of conservation strategies to steer the sustainable use of biodiversity in this Himalayan region. Given the breadth of topics covered under the banner of biodiversity in this book, it can surely serve as a model for documentation of biodiversity in other regions of the world. The book will be of immense value to all those who, directly or indirectly, have to deal with biodiversity, including students, teachers, researchers, naturalists, environmentalists, resource managers, planners, government agencies, NGOs and the general public at large.

The National Botanical Research Institute came into being as the 13th among a chain of National Laboratories established during April, 1953 under the Council of Scientific and Industrial Research by the Govt. of India for advanced research in fields of specialisation which have a direct bearing on socio-economic, industrial and scientific advancement of the nation. Christened initially as National Botanic Gardens, the nucleus around which the institution took shape under its founder- Director Late Prof. K. N. Kaul, was a large herbarium of Indian flora and a centu- old botanical garden spread over 35 ha of land on the banks of River Gomti in the heart of Lucknow city. It’s a matter of great pleasure and profound satisfaction to me that a Golden Jubilee volume entitled, “Pteridology in the New Millennium” is being published and released during the Golden Jubilee year of NBRI in the honour of Professor B. K. Nayar who laid the foundation of the Pteridology Laboratory of the NBRI, which is now a well equipped laboratory for the study of Indian pteridophytes. Professor Nayar is a holistic Botanist as evident through his contributions and publications in almost all the areas of study of Pteridophyta. The contribution of Professor Nayar towards the development of modern Pteridology and the role of NBRI in it is indeed great and very important. His publications will be valuable for the younger generation of scientists in the field as well as for the more mature research workers and teachers.

Contributed articles.

Papers presented at a brain storming session organized by G.B. Pant Institute of Himalayan Environment & Development.

India has a vast landmass of 328 million hectares, extending from the tropics to the alpine regions, rich wetlands to deserts, islands, long coastline to Western and Eastern Ghats and the high Himalayas. It has equally rich and diverse plant diversity, with over 47,000 species that are already documented. Because of the large population dependence on these plants, expansion of agriculture, urbanization and development efforts, many species are threatened too. Some of the issues concerning plant diversity in India are unique to the country. Taxonomic and floristic studies on all major groups have been carried out but the information is scattered in research papers and regional/local floras, manuals and monographs. This volume intends to bridge this gap. Nine of the thirteen chapters of this volume deals with different plant groups extending from algae to angiosperms and allied groups such as bacteria, fungi, lichens, and myxomycetes. There are chapters dealing with topical issues in global context on biodiversity with special reference to India such as climate change and its impact on biodiversity, crop diversity, and tradomedicalism. Each chapter is written by author(s) specialising on the particular group and having long experience of research in it. Each chapter includes not only distribution and diversity but also major researches, economic uses and conventional human interactions. Lacunae in current knowledge are also pinpointed. The book provides information on ecosystem diversity, flora of special sensitive regions (mangroves, wetland, and coral reefs), and on policies and strategies being adopted for in situ and ex situ conservation.