PIB TrackerBenefit-sharing in action: biodiversity authority channels Rs 6.67 crore to cotton-growing states
The National Biodiversity Authority released Rs 6.67 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism to 11 cotton-growing states — money realised from a company's use of thousands of cotton varieties — showing how gains from commercial use of biological resources are reinvested in conservation and communities under the Biological Diversity Act.
What happened
- The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) released Rs 6.67 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism.
- It supports biodiversity conservation and livelihoods in 11 cotton-growing states.
- The Rs 7.62 crore was realised from Bayer (formerly Monsanto) for research on 25,431 cotton varieties.
- It shows benefits from commercial use of biological resources reinvested in conservation and communities.
- It operates under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended 2023), anchored in the CBD/Nagoya Protocol.
For Prelims
- Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS): The principle that users of biological resources/traditional knowledge must fairly share benefits with the country/communities that conserve them.
- Biological Diversity Act, 2002: India's law to conserve biodiversity and regulate access/ABS; amended in 2023; implements the CBD.
- NBA: The National Biodiversity Authority (statutory body, Chennai, 2003) — regulates access to bioresources and ABS at the national level.
- Three-tier structure: NBA (national), State Biodiversity Boards (state), and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) (local, with People's Biodiversity Registers).
- Nagoya Protocol: A 2010 supplementary agreement to the CBD on ABS (in force 2014); India ratified it in 2012.
- Bt cotton context: Gossypium hirsutum is the main cultivated cotton; benefit-sharing arises from commercial research/use of its varieties.
For UPSC: A strong environment-governance item — the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism in practice. Use it for the Biological Diversity Act 2002 (and 2023 amendment), the NBA/SBB/BMC structure and People's Biodiversity Registers, the CBD and Nagoya Protocol, and biodiversity conservation with community benefit.
What it is NOT: This is a benefit-sharing disbursement (implementing an existing mechanism), not a new law or scheme. ABS channels benefits from commercial use of bioresources back to conservation/communities; it is not a government subsidy.
For Mains
Syllabus: GS3.14 · GS2.9 · Linkage L2
Anchor
Fair benefit-sharing for biodiversity — reinvesting gains from bioresource use in conservation and communities.
Substantiation (data)
NBA released Rs 6.67 crore (from Rs 7.62 crore realised from Bayer/Monsanto for using 25,431 cotton varieties) to 11 cotton states under ABS; via the Biological Diversity Act 2002 (amended 2023) and the NBA/SBB/BMC structure.
Exemplification
ABS channelling corporate research benefits to conservation and communities; the CBD/Nagoya Protocol operationalised.
Problematisation
Ensuring benefits reach local stewards, valuation of bioresources/traditional knowledge, and compliance without stifling research (2023 amendment).
Way-forward
Strengthen BMCs and People's Biodiversity Registers, ensure equitable community benefit, and balance conservation with ease of research.
Position
Equitable benefit-sharing is essential to conserving biodiversity while rewarding the communities that steward it.
Deploys into: Environment — conservation/biodiversity + statutory bodies (GS3.14, GS2.9) · the Biological Diversity Act 2002/2023, the NBA/SBB/BMC structure and ABS, and the CBD/Nagoya Protocol.
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change · 2026-07-22 · PRID 2287985 · PIB source ↗