The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has designated the Natural History Museum (NHM), Mizoram University, Aizawl, as a Designated Repository under Section 39 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Based on the recommendation of the National Biodiversity Authority and after due examination of the proposal, the Central Government notified the institution as a Designated Repository on 19 June 2026. With this notification, NHM becomes India’s 21st Designated Repository, further strengthening the country’s biodiversity conservation and scientific infrastructure.
Designated Repositories constitute an important component of India’s biodiversity governance framework by preserving authenticated biological specimens accessed under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
The NHM will maintain voucher specimens of select flora, including pteridophytes and macrofungi, and fauna such as reptiles, amphibians, fishes, moths, beetles and butterflies. It will also serve as the designated depository for type specimens of newly discovered species from the region. These authenticated collections will strengthen species identification, traceability and scientific research while safeguarding India’s biological resources for long-term conservation. They will also support future ecological restoration in the event of habitat loss, natural disasters or species decline.
Established in 2022 under the aegis of Mizoram University, a Central University established by an Act of Parliament, the NHM is uniquely positioned because of its location within the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot and its specialised taxonomic expertise. Mizoram and the wider North-eastern Region harbour more than 7,500 species of flowering plants and over 2,000 faunal species. The museum’s expertise in pteridophytes, macrofungi, moths, beetles and other lesser-studied taxa fills an important gap in India’s network of Designated Repositories and strengthens the scientific documentation of the region’s rich biodiversity.
The repository will also support the documentation and conservation of endemic species unique to the region, including the recently described amphibian Leptobrachella tamdil, discovered in the forests of Mizoram, underscoring the Northeast’s global importance as a centre of biodiversity and species discovery.
Even before its designation, the NHM had demonstrated its scientific preparedness by collecting and preserving more than 500 specimens, including herbarium sheets and wet-preserved collections. Its multidisciplinary scientific team comprises experts from Mizoram University across seven specialised taxonomic groups, ranging from macrofungi and pteridophytes to fishes, moths and butterflies.
The designation further strengthens India’s national network of Designated Repositories by enabling the preservation of biological specimens closer to their source, improving scientific documentation, reducing logistical challenges and facilitating collaboration with the Mizoram State Biodiversity Board and regional research institutions.
Complementing the existing repositories of the Botanical Survey of India, Zoological Survey of India and other notified institutions, the designation advances National Biodiversity Target 4 of India’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (2024-2030) by strengthening ex situ conservation and the conservation of genetic diversity, in line with Target 4 of the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
