New species discovered in Himalayas

Many of the herbs and minerals used in Ayurveda are found in the Himalayas - the mountain range that runs along India's northern border. In fact some are found nowhere else in the world. The Himalayas are one of the world's most biodiverse regions and its watersheds have been shown to be biologically richer than the Amazon basin.

In fact 353 new species of plants and animals were discovered in the last decade and it is conjectured that 3000 to 5000 more species can be discovered with systematic studies over the next few years.

According to the World Wildlife Fund, the Himalayan region has 10,000 plant species, 300 mammals, 977 bird species, 176 reptiles and 269 types of freshwater fish. The Bengal tiger is most prolific in the Himalayas and is the only region that has the greater one-horned rhino.

In the last 10 years, 244 new plants, 16 amphibians, 16 reptiles, 14 fish, two birds and two mammals were discovered.

The Eastern Himalayas are also under threat due to climate change, population, pollution, logging, grazing and wildlife trade with 163 endangered species and 14 in critical danger of extinction.