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NBA Disburses Funds Under Access Benefit Mechanism

Source:PIB ↗

Why It Matters

It highlights the operationalization of the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism under India's Biological Diversity Act and Nagoya Protocol, illustrating how grassroots financial devolution supports biodiversity conservation and local communities.

Summary

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed Rs 1.19 Crore to 29 State Biodiversity Boards and a UT Biodiversity Council under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. This financial devolution aims to promote grassroots conservation, sustainable use of biological resources, and equitable sharing of benefits with local communities and traditional knowledge holders.

Key Points

  • The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) disbursed Rs 1.19 Crore to 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one UT Biodiversity Council.
  • The funds are distributed under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
  • ABS mechanism ensures equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge with local communities and creators.
  • Strengthens decentralized environmental governance through State Biodiversity Boards and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs).

Important Terms

Biological Diversity Act 2002

India's principal legislation for conserving biodiversity, ensuring sustainable use of its components, and providing for fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of biological resources and associated knowledge.

UPSC context

UPSC Prelims & Mains (GS Paper III): Environment & Biodiversity, statutory bodies, conservation laws, and international environmental obligations.

Source
National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)

A statutory autonomous body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, to regulate access to India's biological resources and advise the Central Government on biodiversity conservation.

UPSC context

UPSC Prelims: Functions, statutory powers, and governance mechanisms of environmental regulatory bodies in India.

Source
Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing

An international agreement under the Convention on Biological Diversity that provides a transparent legal framework for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.

UPSC context

UPSC Prelims & Mains (GS Paper III): International conventions, treaties, and global biodiversity governance frameworks.

Source
State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs)

Bodies established by state governments under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, to regulate commercial access to biological resources within their respective states and promote local conservation.

UPSC context

UPSC Prelims & Mains: Decentralized environmental governance, federal implementation of central laws, and grassroots institutions.

Source
UT Biodiversity Council

Statutory bodies constituted for Union Territories under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, responsible for biodiversity conservation and regulating access and benefit sharing within UT jurisdictions.

UPSC context

UPSC Prelims: Implementation structure of environmental acts in Union Territories and sub-national administrative bodies.

Source

Prelims Trap

The National Biodiversity Authority is an executive department under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.

Aspirants often confuse NBA with a ministry department; it is a statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.

Static Concepts Connected

Environment & Biodiversity Conservation

What is the three-tier institutional structure for biodiversity governance in India under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002?

  • National Biodiversity Authority (NBA):: National level body established in 2003 to implement CBD obligations and advise the central government.
  • State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs):: State-level bodies regulating commercial utilization of biological resources and coordinating with local committees.
  • Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs):: Grassroots bodies created by local bodies for promoting conservation and documenting People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs).

Cross-Topic Patterns

  • Biodiversity Governance and Fiscal Federalism

    Decentralized funding through NBA connects environmental governance directly to local fiscal federalism and grassroots planning under Panchayat Raj institutions.

  • Nagoya Protocol and Traditional Knowledge Rights

    ABS mechanism operationalises the Nagoya Protocol commitments within domestic commercial and intellectual property frameworks, intersecting with patent law and traditional knowledge.

Expect a matching-list question on the three-tier biodiversity structure (NBA, SBB, BMC) and their statutory functions under the 2002 Act.

Linked PYQs · 1

Linked PYQs · 1

  • 2023PrelimsGS1

    Consider the following statements: 1. In India, the Biodiversity Management Committees are key to the realization of the objectives of the Nagoya Protocol. 2. The Biodiversity Management Committees have important functions in determining access and benefit sharing, including the power to levy collection fees on the access of biological resources within its jurisdiction. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?