Current Affairs 3rd April, 2021: Amboli, in the Maharashtra district of Sindhudurg, has been designated as a "biodiversity heritage site."

3rd April, 2021 Published by: Saloni Bhatia Updated Sat, 03 Apr 2021 12:38 PM IST

Source: Amar ujala

To preserve an endangered small fish named Schistura, the Maharashtra government designated an area in the Sindhudurg district of The Western Ghats as a biodiversity heritage site.

All about the change

The Maharashtra government has designated an area near Amboli in the Western Ghats of Sindhudurg district as a biodiversity heritage site, where a rare freshwater fish species was discovered.
Tejas Thackeray, the son of Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray and a wildlife researcher and his team discovered a new freshwater fish species, Schistura Hiranyakeshi, near Amboli in Sindhudurg district's Sawantwadi tehsil.
The state government declared the Amboli region a biodiversity heritage site. Schistura is a tiny and colorful fish that thrives in oxygen-rich water and streams.
The Glory of Allapalli in Gadchiroli district, Landor Khori Parkin Jalgaon, Ganesh Khind in Pune, and myristica swamp vegetation in Sindhudurg district had previously been designated as biodiversity heritage sites by the state government.
Tejas Thackeray and co-authors published the freshwater fish species findings in the International Journal of Ichthyology in October 2020 edition.

Concerning the Schistura

  • Schistura is a colorful and tiny fish.
  • Schistura Hiranyakeshi is a freshwater loach that is a special subspecies of Schistura.
  • The Hiranyakeshiriver near Amboli was named after the fish.
  • It prefers to live in oxygen-rich water and streams.

What is the significance of it being listed as a biodiversity heritage site?

  • The decision was made to preserve Schistura, a freshwater fish species.
  • It is a rare species that could become extinct as a result of fishing.