Tectonic turmoil: consequences of violent earthquake-2025 on biodiversity collapse in Myanmar

This study provides a preliminary rapid-response assessment of the immediate impacts of the 2025 violent earthquake in Myanmar on biodiversity. The photographic evidence and communication with the local communities reported mass mortality of freshwater gastropods in Inle Lake, with predictions of substantial losses among several bithyniid species, including endemic ones. Additionally, the unnatural deaths of freshwater fishes (e.g., carps and catfishes) in the Mahamuni Pagoda Pond, Mandalay, indicate that the earthquake also affected larger freshwater vertebrates. This first documentation highlights the need for further investigations into freshwater ecosystems, particularly within the Irrawaddy River basin, to comprehensively assess the earthquake’s impact on native biodiversity. The study also recommends further scientific validation and long-term monitoring efforts in Inle Lake to support the restoration of lost biodiversity and to safeguard the livelihoods of the native Intha communities that depend on this freshwater ecosystem.