To define , Biodiversity is a modern term which simply means “ The Variety of Life On Earth”.

 It is a contraction of the phrase “BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY”, and refers to the variability of life within a species , an ecosystem, a region and even across the planet. Biodiversity varies widely across the globe , from places of high biodiversity , such as rainforests and coral reefs, areas of lower biodiversity , such as agricultural fields .

“ High Biodiversity is often considered a sign of a healthy ecosystem.”

In case of biodiversity of Flora in Nepal , the land of Nepal has been treasured with varieties of species covering every nook of country, with the fragrance of different flowers reaching each and every part of Nepal along with the air . Nepal occupies only 0.1% of the Earth’s landmass , but as per size of the country, she possesses one of the richest Genetic biodiversity in the World.

The biodiversity of the Amazon is considered one of the most biodiverse places on the Earth. And Nepal has been named as an Amazon Of Asia.

This phrase mainly focuses on the diversity Nepal carries.

Among those diverse floral condition in Nepal , Orchids cover the most range. Nepal is endowed with Rich Orchid flora due to wide topographic variation and climatic conditions. 

ORCHID

Family: Orchidaceae

Orchid family is the second largest family of flowering plants, with about 880 genera and some 26,000 species distributed nearly Worldwide. Orchids are even called the “Most Wondorous Flower” all over the World.

And according to 2016, January report; there are about 517 species of Orchids in Nepal but only 381 species are officially recorded at NHPL. Till now, the number of Orchid Species found only in Nepal has reached 19. And this has opened up the door of plant research sectors for searching even more species in Nepal that leads for Genetic Bank of Orchids for new kind of species found.

While to name the regions within Nepal that has habitated Orchids are huge in extent of numbers but in order to name few of them Kaski , Pokhara , Jajarkot, Bhojpur, Sankhuwasabha, Taplejung, Dhading, Palpa , Doti etc.

Some of the recently discovered Orchids within Nepal are listed below:

The diverse the world of Orchids are , the huge are their uses. It can be used for decoration purposes ( about 80 species within Nepal are used for it) to medicinal purposes ( about 100+ species within Nepal is used for this purpose) . That’s why the demand of Orchids is skyrocketing leading to illegal poaching and trade all over the World. This reason has resulted in the endangerment of some of the species . 

So as a logical creature of ecosystem, it’s our responsibility to protect and preserve the diversity of Orchids and Nature to make it a heaven to live .