Context:

• The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change and the National Biodiversity Authority have launched a five-year project in Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya.

Key Points:

• Project Duration: 5 years (2025–2030)
• Financial Grant: USD 4.88 million
• Collaboration: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, United Nations Environment Programme and Global Environment Facility
• Project Title: “Strengthening Institutional Capacities for Securing Biodiversity Conservation Commitments”
• Objective: To achieve national-level targets of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework
• Coverage:
• Tamil Nadu: Sathyamangalam landscape (including Mudumalai Tiger Reserve and Sathyamangalam Tiger Reserve)
• Meghalaya: Garo Hills region (including Nokrek Biosphere Reserve, Balpakram National Park and Siju Wildlife Sanctuary)

Key Components:

• Strengthening Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)
• Activating Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanisms
• Promoting green micro-enterprises for sustainable livelihoods
• Significance: This initiative aligns with India’s National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), the global ‘30x30’ conservation target, and climate commitments under the Paris Agreement

Biodiversity Governance Framework in India:

• India’s biodiversity governance framework is primarily based on the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
• This Act was enacted to fulfill India’s commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity and to safeguard sovereign rights over natural resources.

Institutional Structure (Three-tier Model):

National Biodiversity Authority (NBA):

• Level: National (Headquarters: Chennai)
• Function: Regulates access to bio-resources by foreign individuals/entities and approves applications related to Intellectual Property Rights (IPR).

State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs):

• Level: State
• Function: Monitors and regulates the use of bio-resources by Indian citizens for commercial purposes.

Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs):

• Level: Local self-government (Panchayat/Municipality)
• Main Function: Preparation of People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), documenting local bio-resources and traditional knowledge.

Key Regulatory Mechanisms:

• Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS): Ensures fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of bio-resources with local communities.
• Compliance with the Nagoya Protocol

Other Supporting Laws:

• Wildlife Protection Act, 1972
• Environment Protection Act, 1986
• Forest Conservation Act, 1980

Nagoya Protocol:

• The Nagoya Protocol (2010) is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that ensures the fair and equitable sharing of benefits (ABS) arising from the utilization of genetic resources.
• Supplementary Agreement: Part of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
• Adopted: October 29, 2010, at COP-10 in Nagoya (Japan)
• Entry into Force: October 2014
• India's Status: India ratified it in 2014 and entrusted the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) with the responsibility for its implementation.
• Objectives: To regulate access to genetic resources; ensure the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilization; protect traditional knowledge and the rights of local communities; and ensure transparency in research and development.
•