Bhavasagara

News: The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change designated CMLRE’s “Bhavasagara” Referral Centre as a National Repository for Deep-Sea Fauna.

About Bhavasagara

• Bhavasagara is a specialized scientific hub and National Repository for preservation, study, and documentation of deep-sea marine life, officially designated on March 30, 2026.
• Aim : It aims to provide a foundational resource for ocean scientists while strengthening India’s blue economy and marine biodiversity framework.
• Location: It is located in Kochi, Kerala.
• Parent organisation: It functions under the Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE).
• Nodal ministry: It operates under the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES).
• Designated by: It is designated by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
• Legal Framework: It is recognized under the provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• Key Functions:
  • Secure custody: It preserves biological samples as voucher specimens along with DNA and associated data for future scientific reference.
  • Specimens custodian: It acts as the official custodian for new deep-sea species discovered in Indian waters.
  • Capacity building: It promotes expertise in deep-sea taxonomy aligned with the UN Decade of Ocean Science (2021–2030).
  • Scientific repository: It maintains over 3,500 taxonomically identified and geo-referenced specimens covering diverse marine life.
  • Research facilitation: It provides a centralized platform for researchers and institutions to access deep-sea data.

About Centre for Marine Living Resources & Ecology (CMLRE)

• Institutional status: It is a premier institute under the Ministry of Earth Sciences, Government of India.
• Core mandate: It is dedicated to exploration, management, and conservation of marine living resources.
• Operational area: It focuses on the Indian Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and adjacent deep seas.