India harbours diverse ecosystems – ranging from alpine meadows to coral reefs, grasslands to wetlands, deserts to tropical rainforest – each supporting unique flora and fauna. This exceptional diversity is compressed into a relatively small geographical area and coexists with the world's largest human population amidst rapid infrastructural development, leading to significant changes in India's habitats and biodiversity. There is an urgent need for long-term field-based research to document and understand the biogeography, behaviour comparative physiology and ecology of organisms in these ecosystems, especially in the context of climate change. This would advance fundamental biological science and generate the conceptual and empirical evidence required for effective conservation policy. However, field research depends critically on clearly defined long-term vision and access to well-equipped field stations. Many existing Indian field stations are institution specific and provide rudimentary facilities, often functioning from rented premises and lacking dedicated research infrastructure, laboratories, reliable power supply, connectivity and facilities for systematic data collection and long-term monitoring. This Perspective aims to highlight scientific opportunities offered by India's diverse ecosystems, identify major infrastructural lacunae and bottlenecks that limit these opportunities, and outline ways to address these challenges. We argue for the establishment of a country-wide network of modern field stations to support sustained long-term field-based studies through stable funding and multi-institutional cooperation. These field stations are envisaged as permanent research and monitoring centres located within key ecological landscapes. Beyond research, such stations can serve as hubs for training, capacity building, public engagement and knowledge integration, thereby strengthening conservation outcomes and policies.