Mizoram NHM becomes 21st repository

The India — Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change has notified the Natural History Museum (NHM) at Mizoram University as a Designated Repository under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, making it India's 21st such repository. The designation, effective June 19, 2026, was based on a recommendation from the India — National Biodiversity Authority. The NHM will preserve authenticated biological specimens, including flora (pteridophytes, macrofungi) and fauna (reptiles, amphibians, fishes, moths, beetles, butterflies), and serve as a depository for type specimens of newly discovered species. The museum, established in 2022, is located in the Indo-Burma Biodiversity Hotspot and already holds over 500 specimens. This designation strengthens India's biodiversity governance framework and supports National Biodiversity Target 4 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.