India has high biodiversity due to its varied climate and ecosystems. It contains 7-8% of the world's recorded plant and animal species on only 2.4% of the world's land area. Biodiversity provides both direct and indirect values. Direct values include consumptive uses like food, fuel, and medicine as well as productive uses that provide timber, cotton, dyes, and rubber. Indirect values are ecosystem services like carbon fixation, pollination, water regulation, and erosion control. Maintaining biodiversity is important for both environmental and economic reasons.