Law and statutory body
Designated Repositories under Biological Diversity Act, 2002
GS3 Environment and biodiversityPrelims and Mains
- Why in news
- On 7 July 2026 the Environment Ministry announced that Mizoram University's Natural History Museum, Aizawl, was notified on 19 June 2026 as India's 21st Designated Repository under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- What it is
- Designated Repositories are institutions notified by the Central Government under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. They keep authenticated specimens of biological material, including voucher and type specimens, that have been accessed or studied under the Act. The National Biodiversity Authority recommends which institutions should be notified.
- Legal basis
- The Central Government designates repositories under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- Who recommends
- The National Biodiversity Authority recommended the proposal. The Centre then notified it.
- Role of repositories
- They preserve authenticated biological specimens accessed under the Act.
- Mandate of this museum
- It will hold voucher specimens of select flora and fauna. It will also be the depository for type specimens of newly discovered species from the region.
- Host institution
- The museum was set up in 2022 under Mizoram University, a Central University created by an Act of Parliament.
- Duty on discoverers
- A person who discovers a new taxon must notify the designated repository and deposit the voucher specimens.
- Role of NBA
- NBA issues guidelines on criteria for designation. Its governing body considers proposals and recommends them to the Ministry for notification.
- Number of repositories
- With 18 institutions designated so far, these two additions raise the network further.
- Bhavasagara centre
- The Referral Centre Bhavasagara at CMLRE, Kochi, is a national facility for deep-sea biodiversity with over 3,500 identified, geo-referenced voucher specimens.
- National Biodiversity Authority
- The NBA is a statutory body set up under the 2002 Act, headquartered at Chennai.
- Who designated it
- The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change designated the centre. It is run by CMLRE under the Ministry of Earth Sciences.
- Collection size
- It holds over 3,500 taxonomically identified, geo-referenced voucher specimens.
- Type specimens
- It is the official custodian for any new deep-sea species discovered in Indian waters.
- Location
- CMLRE is based at Kochi, Kerala.
Don’t confuse with Designated Repository vs Biodiversity Heritage Site: A Designated Repository (Section 39) stores specimens. A Biodiversity Heritage Site (Section 37) is an area of ecological value notified by the State Government.
Don’t confuse with Voucher vs type specimen: A voucher specimen is a preserved sample that documents a study or identification. A type specimen is the reference specimen on which a species' formal description is based.
Don’t confuse with Designated repository vs Biodiversity Management Committee: Repositories are scientific institutions notified by the Centre to hold specimens. BMCs are local-body committees that document local biodiversity.
Don’t confuse with Section 39 vs access and benefit sharing sections: Section 39 deals with repositories. Access and benefit sharing is governed by separate provisions of the Act.
Don’t confuse with Designated repository vs. Biodiversity Heritage Site: A repository stores authenticated specimens (Section 39). A Biodiversity Heritage Site is an area of ecological value notified by the State Government (Section 37).
Don’t confuse with CMLRE vs. NIOT: CMLRE explores and manages marine living resources. NIOT, Chennai, develops ocean technology. Both are under MoES.
Laws, judgments and statutory bodies: 30 Prelims questions since 2013 (what the law says, who chairs, legal basis). In Mains, 44 news-triggered questions, most in GS2, asking for provisions and challenges.
Why it matters
- Keeping authenticated specimens near their source aids species identification, traceability and research.
- The collections support restoration after habitat loss, disasters or species decline.
- It fills a gap for lesser-studied groups such as pteridophytes, macrofungi, moths and beetles in the Indo-Burma hotspot.
- Strengthens documentation and traceability of biological resources, supporting access and benefit sharing.
- Supports research and India's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity.
- Gives India a national reference collection for deep-sea species, aiding taxonomy and Blue Economy research.
Problems
- Specimen collections need steady funding, trained taxonomists and proper storage.
- Compliance by researchers in depositing voucher specimens may be uneven.
- Repositories need steady funding and trained taxonomists to maintain collections.
- Deep-sea sampling is costly, and taxonomic expertise is scarce.
Way forward
- Link repositories with State Biodiversity Boards and regional institutions, and keep strengthening taxonomic capacity.
- Expand the repository network across taxa and regions, with regular audits.
- Link repository records to digital databases for transparent tracking of use.
- Expand deep-sea surveys and link specimen data with genetic databases and researchers.
Put in your answer
Policy alignment: The designation advances Target 4 of India's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2024-2030), in line with Target 4 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Regional richness: Mizoram and the wider North-east have over 7,500 species of flowering plants and over 2,000 faunal species.
Bhavasagara collection: Over 3,500 identified, geo-referenced voucher specimens of marine organisms, including deep-sea fishes, are held at Kochi.
Network size: The network has 18 designated repositories before these two additions.
UN Ocean Decade: The repository's capacity building aligns with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021–2030).
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UPSC’s own questions that come close to this issue, from our Prelims and Mains banks.
Prelims practice · Statement I and II
Ours, not from a UPSC paper
Consider the following two statements about repositories under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002:
- Statement-I: Designated repositories are institutions notified by the Central Government under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- Statement-II: A person who discovers a new taxon is required to notify the designated repository and deposit the voucher specimens.
Which one of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?
True or false?
1 of 9
Statements the way Prelims prints them. Say first, then see the fact.
1.A person who discovers a new taxon is required to notify the designated repository and deposit voucher specimens.
True. The discoverer must notify the repository and deposit voucher specimens.
2.Proposals for designation are considered by the Authority, the governing body of the NBA, and recommended to the Ministry for notification.
True. The NBA's governing body recommends proposals to the Ministry.
3.The Referral Centre Bhavasagara is a national facility dedicated to deep-sea biodiversity located at CMLRE, Kochi.
True. It is at CMLRE, Kochi, and deals with deep-sea biodiversity.
4.The National Fungal Culture Collection of India is located at Agharkar Research Institute, Pune.
True. It is at Agharkar Research Institute, Pune.
5.The National Biodiversity Authority is a constitutional body headquartered at Chennai.
False. The NBA is a statutory body created by the 2002 Act, not a constitutional body.
6.The Bhavasagara Referral Centre functions under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
False. It is part of CMLRE under the Ministry of Earth Sciences; MoEFCC only designated it.
7.The Bhavasagara centre has been designated as the National Repository for Deep-Sea Fauna.
True. It was designated by MoEFCC under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
8.The repository acts as official custodian of type specimens of new deep-sea species found in Indian waters.
True. Holding type specimens is one of its authorised functions.
9.Its collection includes both invertebrates and vertebrates such as teleost fishes.
True. It covers cnidarians, annelids, molluscs, arthropods, echinoderms, elasmobranchs and teleosts.
Written by us from the release, not by UPSC; checked by a second model.
Source: PIB, Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change., 7 Jul, 10:46 IST · Release 290938
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