India’s biodiversity governance rests on the Biological Diversity Act 2002 and its 2023 Amendment. Examine how the amendment reshapes access-benefit-sharing and traditional knowledge protection.
Subtopic: Environment · Biodiversity
How to structure your answer
Introduction: Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act 2023 streamlines ABS, exempts AYUSH practitioners and codified traditional knowledge; India is one of 17 mega-diverse countries hosting 7-8% of global recorded species (NBA Annual Report 2023-24).
Body: 1) Three-tier structure — NBA, SBBs, BMCs and the People's Biodiversity Register. 2) 2023 Amendment — narrower ABS for domestic users, faster IP approvals, Section 36A reforms. 3) Critiques — dilution risk, AYUSH exemption breadth.
Way forward: Strengthen NBA capacity; integrate the Nagoya Protocol; align with WIPO Genetic Resources Treaty 2024.
Written within the word limit
139 words · target 150 words · 9 min
Introduction: The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act 2023, notified 1 April 2024, modifies the parent Act of 2002 to align with the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (CBD COP-15, December 2022) and 30x30 conservation.
Body: Key changes: AYUSH practitioners and traders of codified Indian systems of medicine are exempted from prior NBA approval; access-and-benefit-sharing (ABS) shifts from approval to intimation for Indian companies; offences are decriminalised through adjudicating officers; and cultivated medicinal plants are recognised. Section 36-A introduces ex-situ conservation centres. Concerns flagged by Parliamentary Standing Committee on Science (2022): dilution of indigenous-community rights under Section 24(2), weaker penalties (₹50 lakh maximum), and IPR-bypass by foreign collaborators through Indian intermediaries. ABS revenue flow to BMCs and 2.7 lakh PBRs needs clarity under the Biological Diversity Rules 2024.
Way forward: MoEFCC should notify the Nagoya-aligned ABS Rules under Section 21 by FY27, ring-fencing 20% of ABS proceeds for BMC-led PVTG conservation under FRA convergence.
What an examiner expects to see
- Biological Diversity Act 2002, amended 2023
- NBA, SBB, BMC three-tier structure
- Nagoya Protocol ABS framework
- WIPO Genetic Resources Treaty May 2024
- Section 36A on ABS-IP linkage
- Mega-diverse country — 17 nations
- Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (CSIR-AYUSH)
Concrete cases, schemes and judgments
- Turmeric and Neem biopiracy challenges
- Kani tribe Jeevani case Kerala
- PepsiCo potato variety case under PPV&FRA
- Convention on Biological Diversity 1992