Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) and the Natural History Museum (NHM), London, United Kingdom (UK), signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to formulate strategies for long term scientific documentation and conservation of faunal diversity through international exchange.
- The MoU was signed for 5 years by Dhriti Banerjee, the 1st lady Director of ZSI and Douglas Gurr, Director, NHM, London.
Species Diversity in India:
i.India holds 2.4 percent of the world’s land with 8.1 percent of species diversity, which makes India one of twelve mega diversity countries of the world.
ii.On average 350-400 species new to science from India are being discovered by ZSI scientists and others working on natural history and conservation.
iii.India is one of the megadiversity countries in the world with around 45,000 species of plants and more than 100,000 of the animals.
Key Points:
i.Under the MoU both ZSI and NHM, London are committed to implement the 1973 Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES), the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), and relevant national and regional laws and regulations.
ii.Taxonomists, conservation biologists, policy makers and other stakeholders of both the countries will work together to collect, study and conserve faunal specimens. They will also exchange associated scientific data and images between them.
iii.They also plan to conduct joint fieldwork expeditions, transfer of duplicate animal material and associated data capacity-building in the areas of Systematic Zoology and Conservation to ensure greater long-term conservation of animal genetic resources in India.
Participants: David Gower, Head of Vertebrates Division Department of Life Sciences, NHM, London and John Jackson, Head of Science, Policy and Communication and Rosalind Glass, Executive Assistant to the Director and Board of Trustees of the Natural History Museum, London.
Recent Related News:
A team of researchers from the Zoological Survey of India (ZSI), Mount Carmel College(MCC) – Bengaluru, and National Institute of Science Education and Research (NISER), Bhubaneswar discovered Euphlyctis Kerala, a new species of genus Euphlyctis (skittering frog) from the surroundings of the Thattekkad Bird Sanctuary, Kothamangalam, Kerala.
About Zoological Survey of India (ZSI):
i.It is the premier institution on animal taxonomy in India under the Ministry of Environment, Forests & Climate Change of Government of India.
ii.It is the largest repository of Fauna in the entire south and Southeast Asia region and it has 16 Regional Centres and has around 5 million animal collection holdings, 20,000 type collections.
Establishment – July 1, 1916
Headquarters – Kolkata
Director – Dhriti Banerjee
