ARKHANGELSK, March 12. /TASS/. The Federal Research Center for Integrated Arctic Studies of the Russian Academy of Sciences' Urals Branch (Arkhangelsk) will cooperate with the Marine Science Association, Myanmar, on conservation of rare freshwater fauna species, the Center's Director Ivan Bolotov told TASS. The signed agreement plans the work to protect marine and freshwater fauna.
Myanmar's Marine Science Association will develop a network of specially protected natural marine and freshwater areas. The Association is a non-governmental organization that aims to preserve populations of freshwater dolphins that inhabit the Irrawaddy River, endangered species of turtles, large islands with coral reefs and mangrove forests. Under the agreement, Myanmar will obtain accurate data on the freshwater invertebrates' fauna, the Russian expert said.
"The key task, the final one, is to prepare a definitive book on freshwater mollusks of Myanmar," he added.
The book will unite essays on each species with a description and photographs of individuals and typical habitats, distribution assessments and biogeographic maps. "There will be maps of the distribution of species and maps of biodiversity across the country. Based on this, we will be able to make more reasonable suggestions on how to develop the network of protected areas," he said. The book should be on the list of mandatory publications for employees of environmental organizations in the country.
Freshwater mollusks are an important biological resource in Myanmar, an important source of protein for villagers, especially in remote areas. Additionally, mollusks are bio indicators that can be used to assess environmental impacts of large projects, for example, when creating reservoirs or building dams. "Thus, they want us to give them a practical tool to identify the local species of mollusks. This way, they will be able to determine whether it is a protected species or a mass one," the scientist explained. "If the species is rare, then, accordingly, they will eye differently projects to create reservoirs or anything of the kind."
Studies in Myanmar
Myanmar (Burma) had systematic scientific observations of the invertebrate fauna when the country was Great Britain's colony - that is, until the middle of the 20th century.
The Arctic Center's specialists have been working in Myanmar since 2013 at the invitation of the Ministry of Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation. The biologists have conducted a number of expeditions to different parts of the country and accumulated a significant amount of materials. "In the recent expedition, we have also collected a lot of data on the distribution of rare species, and we have found a number of species new to science. Of course, there are a number of places we have not visited. Those are the east of the Shan State, primarily the Mekong River basin, due to the complicated socio-political situation. We used to have an agreement an expedition there would be in 2020, but, unfortunately, COVID failed our plans," the Center's director said.
In Myanmar, almost all mollusks are endemic, unique species - due to the geological history. The country's biggest part belongs to the Burmese plate, which once was part of the Gondwana ancient continent, and in different geological epochs it was adjacent to present-day India and Africa, and further on, after a long drift, it docked to Indochina. The Russian scientific group described about 80 species of freshwater bivalves in Myanmar (for comparison: Russia has 16 species). "Some 80 species of large bivalve mollusks live in Myanmar, where 70 species are found only in that country," the expert said.
The determining book's preliminary version is due to be completed by the spring, 2025.