The Pilikula Nisarga Dhama has sent a proposal to the CZA for a grant of Rs55 lakh.
A wildlife official has called for the creation of a live museum for the conservation of freshwater fish in the Western Ghats.
Jayaprakash Bhandary, wildlife warden of Pilikula Nisarga Dhama, a picnic spot located on the Mangalore-Karkala highway, also sought Rs55 lakh from the Central Zoo Authority (CZA) for building this.
Bhandary said their project, started in 2010, had collected 28 species of fish from Western Ghats and preserved them for conservation and breeding.
“The botanical inventory has a count of 600 species. There is urgent need to save and protect the species by creating a live Western Ghat museum where they can be scientifically preserved,” he said.
“Owing to habitat loss, many species are being pushed to extinction. This also includes various fish and amphibians found in the rivers of the Western Ghats,” he said.
People driving the project have made a big effort, but the investment to develop it further is equally huge.
The Pilikula Nisarga Dhama has sent a proposal to the CZA for a grant of `55 lakh to create ideal and natural conditions for fish conservation.
The design sent to the CZA included running water ponds with soil base lined with rounded pebbles and endemic grass. It is not just for conservation but also for public viewing.
“But we are yet to get an answer from the authority,” he said.
The habitat loss for fresh water species in Western Ghats is because of construction of roads, hydroelectric projects, expansion of agriculture, horticulture and plantations. These projects have fragmented the rivers, rivulets and other running water bodies.
“This condition has led to the compartmentalisation of freshwater species. Many of them were either on the brink of extinction or already extinct and many of the identified species are not available for sampling,” said Vikram Lobo, a researcher of the project.
His findings have been supported by another study carried out by academics Ramesh and Swaminathan.
They say about 12% of the Western Ghats forests have been completely lost in the last two decades. This, in turn, has dried several water bodies, taking a toll on several types of fish, turtles and snakes.
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