India's advanced underwater lab to catalog deep-sea flora and fauna
What's the story
India plans to establish a technologically advanced underwater biodiversity research lab in the Indian Ocean. The lab will focus on exploring various types of flora and fauna found on the seabed and at different depths, potentially assessing their suitability for human consumption, as per the Economic Times. This initiative, part of the government's long-term vision to make India a developed nation by 2047, is conceptualized under the Deep Ocean Mission.
Conservation initiative
Underwater lab to pioneer deep-sea biodiversity conservation
The proposed underwater lab is expected to be one of the most technologically advanced facilities for exploration and conservation of deep-sea biodiversity. A senior government official told ET that "the proposal is at a concept stage and several rounds of deliberation between key stakeholders will be held before it gets onto the drawing board." The lab's mission includes making India a transnational and regional hub for marine biology and biotechnology research.
Biodiversity inventory
Lab to catalog deep-sea flora and fauna
The underwater lab will be tasked with creating an catalog of deep-sea fauna and flora in the Indian Ocean through systematic sampling. The government believes that the deep-sea contains novel biomolecules of industrial and biomedical importance. The exploration of deep-sea organisms, particularly microorganisms, is expected to open up new frontiers in drug discovery and development.