Bhavasagara Referral Centre

Bhavasagara Referral Centre Latest News

Recently, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) has officially designated the Center for Marine Living Resources & Ecology’s “Bhavasagara” Referral Centre as a National Repository for Deep-Sea Fauna.

About Bhavasagara Referral Centre

• It is designated as a National Repository for Deep-Sea Fauna.
• It was conferred under the provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• It establishes the Centre as a critical national facility for the preservation, study, and documentation of India’s vast deep-sea biological heritage.
• It currently serves as a vital scientific hub, housing an extensive collection of over 3,500 taxonomically identified and geo-referenced voucher specimens.
• The collection spans a diverse range of marine life, from invertebrates—including cnidarians, annelids, molluscs, arthropods, and echinoderms—to vertebrates such as elasmobranchs and teleostean fishes.
• Under the Biological Diversity Act, the Repository is authorized to:
  • Maintain Secure Custody: Preserve representative biological samples as voucher specimens along with critical associated data, such as DNA sequences, for future scientific reference.
  • Hold Type Specimens: Act as the official custodian for any new deep-sea species discovered within Indian waters.
  • Capacity Building: Foster expertise in deep-sea taxonomy, aligning with the goals of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030).

Source: PIB

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