{"id":29724,"date":"2026-09-10T18:02:36","date_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:32:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/?p=29724"},"modified":"2026-09-10T18:03:23","modified_gmt":"2026-09-10T12:33:23","slug":"biological-diversity-act-2002","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/biological-diversity-act-2002\/","title":{"rendered":"Biological Diversity Act 2002, Features, Amendments, Objectives"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><b>The Biological Diversity Act 2002<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> provides India with a comprehensive statutory framework for conserving biological diversity, promoting sustainable use of biological resources and ensuring fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilisation. Enacted in the context of India\u2019s commitments under the <\/span><b>Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, it addresses the ecological, economic, medicinal and cultural importance of India\u2019s biological resources.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The <\/span><b>Biological Diversity Act 2002<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> regulates access to biological resources and associated traditional knowledge while establishing institutions such as the National Biodiversity Authority, State Biodiversity Boards and Biodiversity Management Committees. Over time, amendments and regulations have sought to balance biodiversity conservation with research, innovation, traditional medicine and sustainable economic utilisation. The <b>Biological Diversity Act 2002<\/b><\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">thus links environmental protection with community participation and benefit-sharing.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act 2002 Need<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Biological Diversity Act 2002 was needed to addres <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/biodiversity\/\" target=\"_blank\">biodiversity<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> loss, regulate access to biological resources, prevent their unsustainable exploitation and ensure communities benefit from commercial use of their resources.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The legislation emerged from India's international commitments following the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity and India's ratification of the Convention in 1994.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Act created India's first comprehensive domestic framework specifically addressing biological-resource access and benefit-sharing. The need for legislation arose because:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">India's biological resources have significant ecological, economic, medicinal and cultural value.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological resources can be commercially exploited for pharmaceuticals, agriculture, <\/span><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/biotechnology\/\" target=\"_blank\">biotechnology<\/a><\/strong><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">, cosmetics and other industries.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Traditional communities possess valuable knowledge associated with biological resources.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Unregulated access can encourage over-exploitation and biopiracy.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Benefits generated from biological resources need to reach local communities and knowledge holders.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">India needed domestic legislation to implement its obligations under the CBD.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conservation needs to be reconciled with sustainable utilisation and economic development.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act 2002 Objectives<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The objectives of the Biological Diversity Act 2002 combine conservation with sustainable utilisation and equitable benefit-sharing, creating a legal framework that connects biodiversity protection with community interests and economic activity.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The three foundational objectives are:<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Conservation of biological diversity<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Sustainable use of its components<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of biological resources and associated knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The framework also seeks to regulate access to biological resources and associated traditional knowledge, protect community interests and establish institutional mechanisms for implementing biodiversity policy.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act 2002 Features<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Biological Diversity Act 2002 introduced an institutional and regulatory architecture that governs access to biological resources, associated knowledge, research, intellectual property and benefit-sharing across different levels of government.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Three-Tier Institutional Framework<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The Biological Diversity Act 2002 establishes a three-level institutional structure;<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) \u2013 national level<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) \u2013 state level<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) \u2013 local level<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">This structure enables biodiversity governance to extend from the Union Government to states and local communities.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Regulation of Access:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The Biological Diversity Act 2002 regulates access to India's biological resources and associated traditional knowledge. The amended framework distinguishes between different categories of users, including foreign entities, foreign-controlled Indian entities and Indian entities.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Access and Benefit Sharing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is a central feature of the Biological Diversity Act 2002. It seeks to ensure that when biological resources or associated knowledge generate commercial or other benefits, those benefits are shared fairly with recognised benefit claimants.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Benefits may support conservation, local communities, infrastructure, livelihood development and other agreed purposes, depending on the applicable mechanism.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">India ratified the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit-sharing in 2012 and became a party to it on 12 October 2014. The Biological Diversity Act 2002 and its associated framework provide a domestic mechanism for implementing India's ABS commitments.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Protection of <\/b><a href=\"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/traditional-knowledge\/\" target=\"_blank\"><b>Traditional Knowledge<\/b><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The Biological Diversity Act 2002 recognises the importance of knowledge associated with biological resources and provides mechanisms through which access and utilisation can be regulated.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 2023 Amendment introduced the concept of \"codified traditional knowledge\" and excluded it from the benefit-claiming framework in specified circumstances, particularly for persons covered under Section 7. This has generated concerns regarding the extent of benefit-sharing and protection available to communities possessing traditional knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Biodiversity Management Committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: BMCs are established by local bodies and are intended to facilitate local-level biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological resources and associated knowledge.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 2023 Amendment strengthened the institutional framework of BMCs and empowered state governments to constitute BMCs at intermediate and district local-body levels.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Biodiversity Heritage Sites<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The framework provides for identification and notification of Biodiversity Heritage Sites (BHS) for areas containing unique ecological, species or genetic diversity.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>People's Biodiversity Registers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) document locally available biological resources and associated traditional knowledge. They provide an important knowledge base for local biodiversity governance and benefit-sharing.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act 2002 Institutional Framework<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Biological Diversity Act 2002 distributes biodiversity-governance responsibilities among national, state and local institutions so that regulatory decisions, conservation measures and community participation operate through a coordinated system.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<table style=\"width: 94.0871%\">\r\n<tbody>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td class=\"tb-color\" style=\"width: 23.1463%\"><b>Institution<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td class=\"tb-color\" style=\"width: 7.99139%\"><b>Level<\/b><\/td>\r\n<td class=\"tb-color\" style=\"width: 62.0487%\"><b>Major role<\/b><\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 23.1463%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">National Biodiversity Authority<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 7.99139%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">National<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 62.0487%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regulates specified access, advises the government and facilitates benefit-sharing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 23.1463%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">State Biodiversity Boards<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 7.99139%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">State<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 62.0487%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Regulate specified activities under the Act and advise State Governments on conservation, sustainable use and benefit-sharing.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 23.1463%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biodiversity Management Committees<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 7.99139%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Local<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 62.0487%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Promote local biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and documentation.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 23.1463%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Central Government<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 7.99139%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Union<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 62.0487%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Frames policy, rules and guidelines and exercises overarching powers.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<tr>\r\n<td style=\"width: 23.1463%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">State Governments<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 7.99139%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">State<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<td style=\"width: 62.0487%\">\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Establish SBBs and support implementation within states.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<\/td>\r\n<\/tr>\r\n<\/tbody>\r\n<\/table>\r\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>National Biodiversity Authority<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The NBA was established under the Biological Diversity Act 2002 as the principal national-level authority.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">It deals with specified applications for access to biological resources and associated knowledge and plays a major role in implementing ABS provisions.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>State Biodiversity Boards:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> SBBs operate at the state level and advise state governments on conservation, sustainable use and benefit-sharing.\u00a0<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Following the 2023 amendments, their regulatory role was modified, including provisions concerning activities covered by Section 7.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Biodiversity Management Committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: BMCs provide the local institutional interface of the Act. Their significance lies in bringing local communities into biodiversity governance and facilitating documentation and conservation of local biological resources and associated knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"wp-image-29735 aligncenter\" src=\"https:\/\/vajiramias.sgp1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp\/upsc-exam\/2026\/09\/10133258\/Biodiversity-Act-2002.png\" alt=\"Biological Diversity Act 2002\" width=\"882\" height=\"517\" srcset=\"https:\/\/vajiramias.sgp1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp\/upsc-exam\/2026\/09\/10133258\/Biodiversity-Act-2002.png 1637w, https:\/\/vajiramias.sgp1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp\/upsc-exam\/2026\/09\/10133258\/Biodiversity-Act-2002-768x450.png 768w, https:\/\/vajiramias.sgp1.cdn.digitaloceanspaces.com\/wp\/upsc-exam\/2026\/09\/10133258\/Biodiversity-Act-2002-1536x901.png 1536w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 882px) 100vw, 882px\" \/><\/p>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act 2002 and Access and Benefit Sharing<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Access and Benefit Sharing ensures that utilisation of biological resources does not become a one-sided commercial activity and that resulting benefits reach appropriate communities and conservation purposes. ABS broadly involves two linked components:<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Access<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Access refers to activities involving biological resources and associated traditional knowledge covered by the Act. The amended legislation defines access broadly to include collection, procurement or possession of biological resources found in or obtained from India, along with associated traditional knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Benefit Sharing<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Where utilisation creates benefits, the framework seeks their fair and equitable distribution to appropriate benefit claimers and for biodiversity-related purposes.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The 2023 Amendment also modified the mechanisms through which benefit-sharing obligations apply to different categories of users.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Importance of Access and Benefit Sharing<\/span><\/h3>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Prevents exploitation of biological resources without corresponding benefits.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Recognises the contribution of local and traditional knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Supports biodiversity conservation.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Provides incentives for sustainable resource use.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Helps address biopiracy.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Connects biodiversity governance with local livelihoods<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h3><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity (Access and Benefit Sharing) Regulation, 2025<\/span><\/h3>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Biological Diversity (Access to Biological Resources and Knowledge Associated thereto and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits) Regulations, 2025, were notified on 29 April 2025, replacing the 2014 ABS Regulations. They also bring Digital Sequence Information (DSI) within the benefit-sharing framework. Its <\/span><b>key features are:<\/b><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Turnover-based ABS:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Benefit-sharing is linked to the annual turnover of the user.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Up to \u20b95 crore:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> No benefit-sharing payment.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>\u20b95\u201350 crore:<\/b> <b>0.2%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of annual gross ex-factory sale price.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>\u20b950\u2013250 crore:<\/b> <b>0.4%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Above \u20b9250 crore:<\/b> <b>0.6%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>High-conservation\/economic-value resources:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Benefit-sharing is at least <\/span><b>5%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> of the relevant auction, sale or purchase value and may exceed <\/span><b>20%<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for commercial utilisation.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>DSI:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Benefit-sharing provisions extend to the use of <\/span><b>Digital Sequence Information<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> associated with biological resources.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>IPR &amp; Research:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The Regulations prescribe benefit-sharing requirements for specified researchers and applicants seeking intellectual property rights.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Community Benefits:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> A portion of collected benefits is channelled towards recognised <\/span><b>benefit claimers<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> and biodiversity conservation.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act Amendment 2023<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, sought to simplify access and research procedures, encourage the Indian traditional-medicine sector and modify regulatory and penalty provisions. The Amendment Act received Presidential assent on 3 August 2023 and came into force on 1 April 2024. Major changes under the 2023 amendment are<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Simplified compliance: <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Streamlined regulatory procedures and reduced certain compliance requirements for specified categories of users and activities.<\/span>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Example:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Under the original 2002 framework, patent applicants had to secure approval from the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) before filing a patent. The 2023 amendment streamlined this process, allowing domestic applicants to register and obtain NBA approval before the grant of the patent rather than before filing.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>AYUSH sector<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The amendment provided specified exemptions to registered AYUSH practitioners and traditional medicine practitioners to facilitate the Indian systems of medicine.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Cultivated medicinal plants<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The framework encourages the use of cultivated medicinal plants in specified circumstances.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Research facilitation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The amendments seek to facilitate research, patent applications and transfer of research results.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Foreign investment<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The amendment sought to facilitate greater foreign investment in activities relating to biological resources, including research, patenting and commercial utilisation, while safeguarding national interests.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Decriminalisation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Certain offences were decriminalised by replacing imprisonment-based provisions with monetary penalties and establishing an adjudication mechanism for determining penalties.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Foreign-controlled entities:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The amended framework provides greater clarity regarding entities incorporated in India but controlled by foreigners.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Traditional knowledge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The amendment changed the definition of benefit claimers and the treatment of certain categories of traditional knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity (Amendment) Rules, 2025<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Rules, 2025, were notified on 6 May 2025 to amend the Biological Diversity Rules, 2024, and further operationalise the Biological Diversity Act 2002, as amended in 2023. Key changes are:<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Cultivated Medicinal Plants:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Commercial utilisation of cultivated medicinal plants is exempted from specified ABS requirements, subject to obtaining a Certificate of Origin from the Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC).<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Codified Traditional Knowledge:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Codified traditional knowledge is exempted from the purview of the ABS mechanism for specified Section 7 entities, facilitating the use of recognised traditional-medicine knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>BMC Role:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> BMCs are empowered to issue <\/span><b>Certificates of Origin<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> for cultivated medicinal plants accessed within their jurisdiction and maintain records of such transactions.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Institutional Strengthening:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The Rules further operationalise the amended roles of the NBA, State Biodiversity Boards and BMCs under the 2023 Amendment.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Ease of Compliance:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> The amendments seek to simplify procedures and facilitate legitimate research, traditional medicine and utilisation of biological resources while retaining regulatory safeguards.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act 2002 Significance<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Act is significant because it converts India's biodiversity commitments into a domestic legal framework while recognising conservation, sustainable utilisation and community participation as interconnected policy objectives.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Legal protection:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Provides a dedicated statutory framework for biodiversity governance.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>CBD implementation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Gives domestic effect to India's international biodiversity commitments.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Conservation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Supports protection of ecosystems, species and genetic resources.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Sustainable utilisation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Seeks to ensure that biological resources are used without undermining their long-term availability.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Community rights and participation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Brings local institutions and communities into biodiversity governance.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Benefit sharing:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Creates mechanisms for distributing benefits from biological-resource utilisation<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Traditional knowledge:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Recognises the importance of knowledge associated with biological resources.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Research and innovation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Establishes procedures for accessing biological resources for research and development.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Anti-biopiracy framework<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Helps regulate unauthorised exploitation of India's biological resources and associated knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>International relevance<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Supports implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act 2002 Challenges<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">The Biological Diversity Act 2002 faces challenges involving regulatory complexity, institutional capacity, community participation, benefit-sharing, traditional-knowledge protection and the need to balance conservation with commercial access.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Implementation Gaps<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The effectiveness of the legislation depends on how consistently provisions are implemented by national, state and local institutions. Differences in administrative capacity can produce uneven outcomes.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Capacity of Biodiversity Management Committees<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: BMCs are critical to the decentralised model, but their effectiveness can be affected by limited technical expertise, financial resources, awareness and institutional capacity.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Benefit-Sharing Concerns<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: One major challenge is ensuring that benefits actually reach the communities and individuals who conserve biological resources or possess relevant knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Traditional Knowledge Protection<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: The 2023 amendments have generated debate over whether changes relating to codified traditional knowledge and benefit claimers could weaken incentives for communities to document and preserve traditional knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Ease of Access vs Conservation:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Simplifying access can encourage research, innovation and investment, but excessive relaxation may increase risks of over-exploitation or inadequate monitoring.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Foreign Access and Biopiracy<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Greater international collaboration can generate economic and scientific benefits, but regulatory safeguards remain necessary to prevent unauthorised exploitation of Indian biological resources.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act 2002 Way Forward<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">India needs a balanced biodiversity-governance model that facilitates legitimate research and innovation while strengthening community rights, benefit-sharing, institutional capacity and long-term ecological safeguards.<\/span><\/p>\r\n<ul>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Strengthen BMCs:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Provide adequate funding, training and technical support to local Biodiversity Management Committees.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Improve ABS transparency<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Develop clearer systems for tracking biological-resource access and the distribution of benefits.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Protect traditional knowledge<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Ensure that simplification of regulatory procedures does not weaken safeguards for traditional and community knowledge.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Strengthen monitoring<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Use digital databases, geospatial tools and traceability systems to monitor biological-resource utilisation.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Improve coordination:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Strengthen coordination between the NBA, SBBs, BMCs, research institutions and other regulatory bodies.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Build community capacity<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Increase awareness among local communities about their rights, biological resources and ABS mechanisms.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><b>Balance ease of doing research with conservation<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">: Simplified procedures should be accompanied by effective monitoring and safeguards.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<h2><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Biological Diversity Act 2002 UPSC PYQs<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p><b>Q1.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> How is the Government of India protecting traditional knowledge of medicine from patenting by pharmaceutical companies? <\/span><b>(UPSC Mains 2019)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Q2.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> How does biodiversity vary in India? How is the Biological Diversity Act 2002 helpful in the conservation of flora and fauna?<\/span> <b>(UPSC Mains 2018)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Q3.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Consider the following statements: <\/span><b>(UPSC Prelims 2023)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> In India the Biodiversity Management Committees are key to the realisation of the objectives of the Nagoya Protocol.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> 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.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Which of the statements given above is\/are correct?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a) 1 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">b) 2 only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">c) Both 1 and 2<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">d) Neither 1 nor 2<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Ans: (c)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Q4.<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> How does National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) help in protecting the Indian agriculture? <\/span><b>(UPSC Prelims 2012)<\/b><\/p>\r\n<ol>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> NBA checks the biopiracy and protects the indigenous and traditional genetic resources.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> NBA directly monitors and supervises the scientific research on genetic modification of crop plants.<\/span><\/li>\r\n\t<li><span style=\"font-weight: 400\"> Application for Intellectual Property Rights related to resources genetic\/biological cannot be made without approval of NBA.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ol>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">Which of the statements given above is\/are correct?<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">a) 1 Only \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">b) 2 &amp; 3 Only<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">c) 1 &amp; 3 Only \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 \u00a0 <\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400\">d) 1, 2 &amp; 3\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\r\n<p><b>Ans: (c)<\/b><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>The Biological Diversity Act 2002 is India&#8217;s first comprehensive domestic framework specifically addressing biological-resource access and benefit-sharing. Read about its features and amendments.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":29766,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[38,33],"tags":[2005,40,1331],"class_list":["post-29724","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-upsc-notes","category-upsc-environment-ecology-notes","tag-biological-diversity-act-2002","tag-quest","tag-upsc-enviornment-and-ecology-notes"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29724","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=29724"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29724\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":29767,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/29724\/revisions\/29767"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/29766"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=29724"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=29724"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/vajiramandravi.com\/upsc-exam\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=29724"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}