Zoological Survey of India

What Zoological Survey of India does

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), headquartered at Prani Vigyan Bhawan, M-Block, New Alipore, Kolkata, is a statutory body established on 1 July 1916 under India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change. It is the country's premier taxonomic research organization, responsible for systematic documentation and monitoring of India's animal diversity — covering Protozoa through Mammalia — and supporting environmental conservation, regulatory clearances, and biodiversity research. ZSI serves researchers and academic institutions, state governments and forest departments, environmental consultants requiring EIA baseline data, conservation NGOs, and the general public.

The organization operates through a network of 16 regional centres covering India's biogeographic zones, including the four global biodiversity hotspots (Himalaya, Indo-Burma, Western Ghats/Sri Lanka, Sundaland). Core technology centers on integrative taxonomy, combining traditional morphological examination with mitochondrial COI DNA barcoding for species identification, executed through specialized facilities including the Central DNA Laboratory and Central Entomology Laboratory. The National Zoological Collection (NZC) houses millions of catalogued specimens, supported by a digitization program encompassing over 200,000 pages of searchable scientific publications. Output infrastructure comprises the Records of the Zoological Survey of India (168 issues since 1947), 335 Occasional Papers since 1976, 52 Fauna of India volumes, 20 State Fauna Series, 48 Handbooks, and additional ecosystem and conservation series.

ZSI's revenue model is government-funded rather than commercially priced. Core service streams include taxonomic identification services, Environmental Impact Assessment studies, training and extension programs (including Skill India Mission certifications), and publication distribution via official procurement. Distribution is handled through direct service delivery via the headquarters and 16 regional centres for domestic clients, and through official publication procurement for libraries and research institutions globally. As a public-sector scientific body, services are provided primarily for research, conservation, and regulatory purposes rather than commercial sale.

Name

Zoological Survey of India

Legal name

Zoological Survey of India

Website

https://zsi.gov.in

Company type

Private

Founded year

1916

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The Zoological Survey of India is a statutory government body, founded in 1916 under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, that conducts faunal surveys, taxonomic identification, and biodiversity research across India through 16 regional centres serving researchers, state governments, environmental consultants, and conservation agencies.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Government Research and Biodiversity Documentation Services

NAICS

Scientific Research and Development Services (5417), Environmental Consulting Services (54162)

SIC

Services-Engineering, Accounting, Research, Management (8700)

akta.pro primary industry

Biodiversity Baseline Studies & Long-Term Monitoring Programs (EUAHAHAE)

akta.pro secondary industries

Wildlife Surveys & Movement/Connectivity Studies (e.g., Avian/Bat, Telemetry) (EUAHAHAH), Environmental Monitoring, Data & Reporting (Air/Water/Soil) (BPAIAMAC), Nature & Biodiversity Reporting (TNFD, natural capital) (EUAHAJAM)

Keywords

• Faunal survey services
• Taxonomic research
• Biodiversity documentation
• Environmental impact assessment
• Zoological publications

Headquarters

HQ city

Kolkata

HQ country

India

HQ region

Asia

Offices17 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Taxonomic Identification Services: ZSI provides species identification services to researchers, government agencies, and organizations requiring expert taxonomic verification of animal specimens.
2. Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Studies: Conducts environmental impact assessment studies for development projects, providing baseline faunal data required for regulatory approvals.
3. Training and Extension Programs: Offers training programs including para-taxonomy certification courses, skill development programs under Skill India Mission, and workshops for students, teachers, and general public.
4. Publications and Documentation: Publishes and distributes research publications, checklists, faunal documentation, and technical manuals to researchers, institutions, and libraries. Publications are available through procurement processes.

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

ZSI is India's premier taxonomic research organization that conducts systematic faunal surveys across India's biogeographic zones, provides species identification services to researchers and government agencies, performs environmental impact assessment studies for development projects, and publishes extensive zoological documentation including journals, monographs, faunal checklists, and state fauna series documenting 100,693+ animal species.

Product overview

The Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) is a premier government taxonomic research organization that serves as the primary authority on animal biodiversity documentation in India. Rather than a unified software product, ZSI operates as a comprehensive research and publication institution offering multiple interconnected services and products. Its core offerings include the Digital ZSI platform providing access to digitized zoological resources, the Checklist of Indian Animals database documenting fauna across all major taxa, and the ZSI Library Repository containing over 200,000 pages of searchable scientific archives. The organization publishes extensive taxonomic literature including the Records of the Zoological Survey of India (quarterly journal), Memoirs (monographs), the Fauna of India series (52 volumes), State Fauna Series (20 state publications), Conservation Area Series, Ecosystem Series, and Occasional Papers. Additional products include identification services, Environmental Impact Assessment studies, and training programs. ZSI maintains 16 regional centers across India supporting its national survey and documentation mandate established in 1916.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Digital ZSI Platform Digital platform providing access to digitized zoological resources, archives, and publications of ZSI for researchers, students, and institutions.
• Checklist of Indian Animals Comprehensive database providing checklists of fauna documented in India across multiple taxa including Protozoa, Cnidaria, Arthropoda, Mollusca, Chordata, and others.
• ZSI Library Repository Digitized archive of ZSI publications containing over 200,000 pages of searchable scientific documents in PDF and DjVu format.
• Fauna of India Publication Series Taxonomic and systematic accounts of animal groups including 52 volumes of Fauna of India series and 91 volumes of Fauna of British India series for researchers and libraries.
• Records of the Zoological Survey of India Quarterly in-house journal publishing zoological research on taxonomy, faunistics, biology, ecology and populations of all taxa; 168 issues published in 67 volumes since 1947.
• Memoirs of the Zoological Survey of India Occasional publication series for works on systematics, phylogeny and biogeography of animal groups; 31 issues in 8 volumes.
• State Fauna Series Documentation of fauna from various Indian states; 20 state faunas published covering biodiversity of specific regions for use by state governments and researchers.
• Conservation Area Series Publications surveying and documenting fauna of reserve forests with conservation measures recommendations; 44 publications for conservation managers and forest departments.
• Ecosystem Series Publications covering different ecosystems including Estuarine (6 books), Wetland (14 books), Himalayan (2 books), and Marine (1 book); 23 total publications.
• Occasional Papers Separate cover publications for taxonomic research papers, district faunas, checklists and lengthy studies; 335 numbers published since 1976.
• Identification Services Taxonomic identification services for animal species provided to researchers, students, and government agencies.
• Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) Studies Environmental Impact Assessment studies for fauna diversity as baseline data for development projects and regulatory clearances.
• Training and Extension Services Training programs for students, researchers, and field officials on biodiversity documentation, taxonomy, and para-taxonomy certification including Skill India Mission programs.
• Status Survey of Endangered Species Publications documenting status of critically endangered and threatened species in India; 11 documents published.
• Handbook and Pictorial Guides Identification manuals with keys and illustrations for major animal groups; 48 handbooks published including pictorial guides with color photographs.
• Special Publications Publications on symposium proceedings, seminars, workshops, and important books; 45 publications including Faunal resources of India and Red Data Books.

Quantifiable outcome

• India now has 100,693 described animal species documented
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature4 records

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• NSF-funded Platygastroidea Planetary Biodiversity Inventory ProjectcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZSI scientist Dr. K. Rajmohana serves as the sole Indian collaborator in this NSF-funded international project focused on the biodiversity inventory of Platygastroidea, contributing to global taxonomic research efforts.
• DST-SERB (Department of Science and Technology - Science and Engineering Research Board)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZSI serves as the principal investigator organization for DST-SERB funded projects, including DNA metabarcoding of arthropod eggs project (2022-2025), enabling advanced molecular taxonomy research.
• Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, Virginia, USAminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDr. Gaurav Sharma completed a professional training program on Species Monitoring and Conservation: Terrestrial Mammals at this prestigious conservation school in May 2016.
• International Experts ConsortiumcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerZSI researchers collaborated with international experts to discover new polychaete species Namalycastis solenotognatha and Nereis dhritiae in the Bay of Bengal ecosystem.

Scale indicators9 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Forest Survey of India: Statutory body under MoEF&CC conducting national forest inventory and resource assessment. Comparable in institutional design and geographic coverage but focused on forest cover rather than fauna.
• Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education (ICFRE): Umbrella body governing forestry research institutes under MoEF&CC. Overlaps with ZSI on forest faunal surveys and EIA work but operates more broadly across forestry, biodiversity, and allied fields.
• Smithsonian National Museum of Natural History: Global benchmark for a national natural-history institution — comparable mission of faunal inventory, taxonomic research, and digitized specimen archives. Operates internationally and serves as the gold standard ZSI is benchmarked against.
• Natural History Museum, London: Global leader in systematic taxonomy with deep specimen collection and publication heritage. Directly comparable in mandate and capability, with much larger international footprint and digitization scale.

Others

• WWF India: Large conservation NGO working on species and habitat protection across India. Adjacent rather than directly comparable — primarily an advocacy and conservation-delivery organization that depends on taxonomic data of the kind ZSI produces.

Emerging players

• Centre for Cellular and Molecular Biology (CCMB): Premier Indian molecular biology research institute under CSIR. Comparable on the molecular-taxonomy / DNA-barcoding capability dimension and a potential collaborator or competitor for advanced biodiversity genomics projects.
• Wildlife Conservation Trust: Indian NGO conducting wildlife research, conservation, and habitat protection. Overlaps with ZSI on field-survey work and species conservation planning but operates as a private non-profit rather than a statutory body.

Direct peers

• Wildlife Institute of India: Autonomous institution under MoEF&CC focused on wildlife research, training, and capacity building. Directly comparable mandate on wildlife science and conservation training, with significant overlap in faunal survey work.
• National Biodiversity Authority (India): Statutory regulator implementing India's Biological Diversity Act. Closely aligned with ZSI on biodiversity data usage, access-and-benefit-sharing, and compliance, though it is a regulatory body rather than a research organization.
• Botanical Survey of India: Sister statutory body under India's Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change performing the plant counterpart to ZSI's role — systematic documentation, regional centres, and taxonomic publications. Closest structural peer in mission, governance, and operating model.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ZoologicalI
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCpe6L4TRTJtgLsxx6KZ8dfQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/ZoologicalSurveyIndia
• Instagraminstagram.com/zoologicalsurvey_1916
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/zoological-survey-of-india

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Subsidiaries16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about Zoological Survey of India