Discuss the role of Biodiversity Management Committees in operationalizing the Nagoya Protocol in India.

Q. Discuss the role of Biodiversity Management Committees in operationalizing the Nagoya Protocol in India. (15 marks, 250-350 words)

The Nagoya Protocol (2010) under the Convention on Biological Diversity, ratified by India in 2012, rests on fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources with their custodians. In India, this global commitment reaches the ground through Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) — local-body institutions under Section 41 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 [3], which convert treaty obligations into community entitlements.

Documenting resources and traditional knowledge - BMCs prepare People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) recording local species, landraces, breeds and associated traditional knowledge [2] — the evidentiary base without which prior informed consent under Nagoya is unenforceable. - Over 2.7 lakh BMCs and PBRs now exist nationally, creating a decentralised biodiversity inventory [2].

Channelling benefit sharing - The Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism has mobilised over Rs 266 crore since 2008, of which about Rs 145 crore has been disbursed [1]. - Benefits have reached 10,500+ BMCs across 23 States and 4 UTs, besides farmers and State Forest Departments [1]; in FY 2025-26 the seed and AYUSH sectors were the largest contributors [1].

Guarding against biopiracy - BMCs are consulted before access is granted and levy collection charges, making them the first line of defence for community rights — reinforced by the requirement of NBA registration before IPR filings on Indian bio-resources [4].

Linking benefits to conservation - ABS funds finance species and habitat conservation, as with Red Sanders conservation support in Andhra Pradesh [1], closing the loop between use and protection.

Persisting gaps - Uneven BMC capacity, formulaic PBRs and weak fund-utilisation ability dilute outcomes [2].

BMCs thus translate an international treaty into village-level entitlement, making conservation financially self-sustaining. Strengthening their technical capacity, updating PBRs periodically and widening industry compliance — aided by the new VCS-I-ABS certification scheme [5] — can make India's model exemplary for the Kunming-Montreal framework, advancing Article 48A's mandate of environmental protection.

(~320 words)

Sources: 1. Biodiversity Pays Back: India's ABS Framework Delivers Rs 145 Crore to Beneficiaries, PIB (20 June 2026) — Rs 266 crore mobilised, Rs 145 crore disbursed, 10,500+ BMCs across 23 States and 4 UTs, sectoral contributions, conservation use of funds 2. India's Biodiversity: Commitments and Achievements, PIB — BMCs and People's Biodiversity Registers, numbers of BMCs/PBRs, institutional capacity 3. Biological Diversity Act, 2002, PIB — Section 41 mandate for BMCs at local body level 4. Regulatory reforms under Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023 lead to surge in IPR filings, PIB — Certificate of Registration required from NBA before IPR on Indian bio-resources 5. MoEFCC and NBA launch World's first dedicated VCS-I-ABS, PIB — voluntary ABS certification scheme to widen industry compliance