Mumbai: Will Amboli get the heritage tag for a fish species?

Villagers along with members of the Thackeray Wildlife Foundation spread awareness regarding the fish species in the area

A species of fish - Schistura Hiranyakeshi - recently discovered in Amboli area might pave the way for this region in the Western Ghats to be declared as a Biodiversity Heritage Site. Wildlife Researcher Tejas Thackeray, who is also the trustee of Thackeray Wildlife Foundation (TWF), had written a letter to the forest secretary in the first week of March requesting for the same. If the government agrees to it, then this would be a first-of-its-kind initiative in the country to declare the area as a protected site due to the presence of a fish species that faces the threat of extinction.

The temple pond where the species has been found

The freshwater fish species was recently described vide a paper published in the Aqua - International Journal of Ichthylogy in the October 2020 edition by Thackeray and his co-authors. This discovery attracted a lot of attention from media houses across the country, highlighting the importance and biodiversity of the Sahyadris with special attention to Amboli.

Speaking to mid-day, Thackeray said, "Even after conducting numerous surveys across the landscape, we did not identify a new population outside the town of Amboli in Sindhudurg wherein the species can be found in good numbers. The temple pond situated at the origin of river Hiranyakeshi is its only stronghold. Ornamental fish trade and distribution of the species may damage its habitat and push it to the brink of extinction."

In the letter to the forest secretary, Thackeray has stated that the plan could be set in motion by using data collected by him and his team. Further, he said that with the active cooperation and involvement of the local NGOs, gram panchayat, villagers and Forest Department, a unique model of ‘Temple Community Conservation' for the species could be created.

Thackeray and his team plan to run clean-up drives at the temple premises and organise a workshop for the gram panchayat members, villagers and school kids to teach them the importance of conserving the species and would also provide suggestions based on their data for efficient management of the temple pond, which will help increase the population of the fish.

In the letter Thackeray states, "My most important request and suggestion to you will be to declare the temple premises a ‘Biodiversity Heritage Site'. Through various decisions in the past year, the state government has made its commitment towards conserving the Sahyadris loud and clear. The proposed plan will further amplify the state's stand and set an example on how a species, regardless of its size, can be treated equally. Consider my suggestion for the ‘Hiranyakeshi Loach Biodiversity Heritage Site' and if need be, I will be more than happy to present the required data to further justify the necessity of this decision."