Why in the news
The Environment Ministry (MoEFCC) released insights from India’s first national report on the Nagoya Protocol, showing how access and benefit-sharing (ABS) has worked in practice.
About the Nagoya Protocol
- Formally the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) for genetic resources.
- A supplementary treaty to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), 1992; adopted in Nagoya, Japan, in 2010 and in force since 2014.
- Covers biological materials and Digital Sequence Information (DSI).
- Prior Informed Consent (PIC): approval from the national authority before access.
- Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT): a formal agreement setting use, duties and benefit-sharing.
- Fair benefit-sharing: royalties, fees, research and technology transfer should reach local communities and conservers.
- The ABS Clearing-House tracks permits and issues Internationally Recognized Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs); traditional knowledge is also safeguarded.
Key findings of India’s report
| Measure | Figure |
|---|
| ABS approvals, 2017-2025 | 12,830 |
| By National Biodiversity Authority | 5,913 |
| By State Biodiversity Boards and UT Councils | 6,917 |
| IRCCs published | 3,556 (60.24% of global total) |
| Funds generated | ₹216.31 crore |
| Funds passed on to communities, claimers, conservers | ₹139.69 crore |
| Workshops and trainings | 3,724, covering over 2.56 lakh stakeholders |
| Biodiversity Management Committees | Over 2.76 lakh |
Three-tier structure in India
- National: National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai.
- State: State Biodiversity Boards.
- Local: Biodiversity Management Committees in panchayats and local bodies.
Case studies
| Case | Detail |
|---|
| Dengue treatment, Madhya Pradesh | Sun Pharmaceutical paid an upfront ₹4,50,000 for the plant Cocculus hirsutus from Chhindwara forests; in 2020, 95% (₹4,27,500) went to the M.P. Minor Forest Produce Federation |
| Bioethanol, Uttar Pradesh | Indian Oil Corporation paid ₹18,60,000 for agricultural residues in Aligarh; ₹17,67,000 went to the UP State Biodiversity Board |
Background
- CBD: opened at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit, in force 1993; aims are conservation, sustainable use and fair sharing of benefits. Its protocols are Cartagena (2000, on living modified organisms) and Nagoya (2010).
- India is a party to the CBD and both protocols; the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 is its main domestic law.
- NBA: statutory autonomous body under MoEFCC, set up in 2003 under the 2002 Act, headquartered in Chennai. It approves access by foreign persons and firms, advises governments, supports SBBs and BMCs, negotiates benefit-sharing and issues IRCCs.
Exam angle
- Years: CBD 1992, Nagoya adopted 2010, in force 2014; Act 2002; NBA 2003.
- Numbers: 12,830 approvals, 3,556 IRCCs, ₹216.31 crore.
- Terms: PIC, MAT, DSI, IRCC, BMC.