UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India emerges as Global Leader in issuing Compliance Certificates under Nagoya Protocol

Q1. Which one of the following correctly describes the Nagoya Protocol?

  • A. A supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity governing access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from their utilisation
  • B. A supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity regulating the transboundary movement of living modified organisms
  • C. A standalone international convention on climate finance independent of the Convention on Biological Diversity
  • D. A protocol to the World Trade Organization governing intellectual property rights over plant varieties

Q2. At which Conference of the Parties (COP) to the Convention on Biological Diversity was the Nagoya Protocol adopted?

  • A. COP-7 (Kuala Lumpur, 2004)
  • B. COP-10 (Nagoya, 2010)
  • C. COP-11 (Hyderabad, 2012)
  • D. COP-15 (Kunming-Montreal, 2022)

Q3. Of the 142 countries registered on the ABS Clearing-House, how many have actually issued IRCCs?

  • A. 34
  • B. 56
  • C. 64
  • D. 142

Q4. Which one of the following best describes a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002?

  • A. A local-level body constituted by every local body for conserving biodiversity and documenting it through the People's Biodiversity Register
  • B. A state-level statutory board that grants approvals to Indian entities for commercial use of bioresources
  • C. The central statutory authority that issues IRCCs and approves access by foreigners
  • D. An inter-ministerial committee that ratifies international biodiversity treaties on India's behalf

Q5. Under which provision of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 must foreigners, NRIs and foreign-controlled entities obtain prior approval of the National Biodiversity Authority before accessing India's biological resources?

  • A. Section 3
  • B. Section 7
  • C. Section 21
  • D. Section 41

Q6. According to the latest ABS Clearing-House data, which country ranks second after India in the number of IRCCs issued?

  • A. Spain
  • B. France
  • C. Argentina
  • D. Kenya

Q7. The following countries are listed among the leading issuers of IRCCs after India on the ABS Clearing-House. Which one of the above is NOT correctly listed?

  1. France
  2. Spain
  3. Panama
  4. Brazil
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 4 only
  • D. 3 and 4 only

Q8. The institutional architecture for access and benefit-sharing under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 operates at how many tiers?

  • A. Two
  • B. Three
  • C. Four
  • D. Five

Q9. Consider the following pairings of CBD supplementary agreements with their attributes. Which of the above are correctly matched?

  1. Nagoya Protocol — Access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources
  2. Cartagena Protocol — Biosafety and living modified organisms
  3. Nagoya Protocol — Adopted in the year 2010
  4. Cartagena Protocol — Adopted in the year 2010
  • A. 1 and 2 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3 only
  • C. 2 and 4 only
  • D. 1, 3 and 4 only