National Biodiversity Authority Releases ₹8.22 Crore ABS Funds

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) releases ₹8.22 crore as access and benefit-sharing (ABS) funds to three research institutions, and to 33 State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils. The disbursement is described as one of the largest single ABS disbursements for rice and is linked to conservation and benefit-sharing commitments.

ABS Funds Disbursement by National Biodiversity Authority:

Dimension	Key Details
Disbursing authority	The National Biodiversity Authority releases ABS funds.
Amount and recipients	The NBA has released ₹8.22 crore to 3 research institutions, and 33 State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils.
ABS disbursement context	The disbursement is described as one of the largest single ABS disbursements for rice.
Use of funds by research institutions	The research institutions utilise the funds to strengthen germplasm conservation, maintain seed collections, and support research and training.
Use of funds	The State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils use allocations for approved conservation activities, including protecting native crop diversity, restoring ecosystems, documenting traditional knowledge, and supporting local farmers and knowledge holders.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework	The disbursement supports Target 13 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.
Target 13 provision	Target 13 promotes fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge.
Sustainable Development Goals	It contributes to SDG 2 (Zero Hunger), SDG 12 (Responsible Consumption and Production), SDG 15 (Life on Land), and SDG 17 (Partnerships for the Goals).
NBA legal basis	The NBA is a statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
NBA administrative control	The NBA is under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
NBA mandate	The NBA regulates access to India’s biological resources and associated traditional knowledge.
NBA and Nagoya Protocol	The NBA implements the Nagoya Protocol’s principle of fair and equitable benefit-sharing.
Convention on Biological Diversity	The CBD is a global legal treaty from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit.
CBD core goals	The CBD comprises three core goals: conservation of biological diversity; sustainable use of its components; and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources.
CBD ratification exception	The United States is the only UN member state which has not ratified the Convention.
CBD supplementary agreements	The CBD has 2 supplementary agreements: Cartagena Protocol and Nagoya Protocol.
Cartagena Protocol coverage	The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety governs the movements of living modified organisms resulting from modern biotechnology from one country to another.
Nagoya Protocol description	The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) is a supplementary agreement to the CBD.