The State capital will soon get another important landmark with the Government of India deciding to set up a first-of-its kind National Biodiversity Museum (NBM). The museum is expected to be built in a six-acre site near the 15-acre Bio-diversity Park at Raidurg on the hilly landscape of the Mehdipatnam-Gachibowli stretch at an estimated cost of Rs. 200 crore.
The Telangana Government has already agreed to provide land for the prestigious museum and the allotment process is in the final stages, senior officials of the Biodiversity Board, who preferred to remain anonymous, , said. The idea was conceived during the Convention on Biodiversity (CoP-II) held in the city two years ago.
The NBM is aimed at creating awareness among people on the importance of conservation of biological diversity and genetic integrity of plants, animals and micro-organisms along with ensuring unhindered evolution of living resources.
Thematic galleriesThe museum will have nine thematic galleries (each with an area of 1,000 sq. mts), auditorium, library, 3D theatre, digital interpretation centre, aquarium (marine and freshwater) exhibition hall, activity centre, etc.
The museum will have a visual documentation of biogeographic zones of India, first of which would be the entire mountain chain running from north-western to north-eastern India, trans Himalayas of Ladakh, plains and non-Himalayan hill ranges of north-eastern India, frozen desert, high altitude wetlands, migratory birds, etc.
Evolution of agriculture in the country, especially in the Gangetic plain, soil diversity, semi-arid regions of Punjab, Gujarat, desert of Rajasthan, Eastern and Western Ghats, coasts and islands of Andamans and Lakshwadeep, et al, would be showcased.
Audio-visual documentationAnthropological and cultural connections of biodiversity will be depicted through audio-visual documentation of food practices, festivals, clothes, etc.
An account of the endangered and extinct species will also be presented, senior officials said.
The Union Ministry of Environment and Forests and Creative Museum Designers (CMD), wholly owned and controlled by the National Council of Science Museums (NCSM) under the Ministry of Culture, have prepared a joint strategy for the project.
The CMD will not only prepare a detailed project report, but will also offer expertise for development of concepts and themes, technical assistance in installing and commissioning of exhibits as also manpower training, senior officials explained.
