UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — Biodiversity Pays Back: India's ABS Framework Delivers Rs 145 Crore to Beneficiaries

Q1. In the context of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, what is a 'People's Biodiversity Register' (PBR)?

• A. A central database maintained by the National Biodiversity Authority listing all Internationally Recognized Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs) issued in India
• B. A local-level register prepared by the Biodiversity Management Committee documenting biological resources, their uses, and associated traditional knowledge
• C. A statutory list of Biodiversity Heritage Sites notified by State Governments under the Act
• D. A registry of 'normally traded commodities' notified by the Central Government as exempted from the Act's benefit-sharing provisions

Q2. The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), the apex statutory body for implementing India's access and benefit-sharing regime, is constituted under which one of the following sections of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002?

• A. Section 8
• B. Section 22
• C. Section 36
• D. Section 41

Q3. With reference to India's implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing, which one of the following is designated as the 'Competent National Authority' for granting access to biological resources and associated traditional knowledge?

• A. Botanical Survey of India
• B. National Biodiversity Authority
• C. Wildlife Crime Control Bureau
• D. Indian Council of Forestry Research and Education

Q4. The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, which came into force on 1 April 2024, was enacted primarily to operationalize India's commitments under which one of the following international instruments?

• A. Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety
• B. Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing
• C. Aichi Biodiversity Targets under the Strategic Plan 2011-20
• D. Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Q5. With reference to the provisions introduced by the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, consider the following statements: 1. Registered AYUSH practitioners are exempted from sharing benefits with local communities for accessing codified traditional knowledge. 2. Offences under the parent Act have been decriminalized and made punishable by monetary penalties instead of imprisonment. 3. Research and bio-survey activities have been removed from the purview of benefit-sharing requirements. 4. The headquarters of the National Biodiversity Authority has been shifted from Chennai to New Delhi. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Registered AYUSH practitioners are exempted from sharing benefits with local communities for accessing codified traditional knowledge.
2. Offences under the parent Act have been decriminalized and made punishable by monetary penalties instead of imprisonment.
3. Research and bio-survey activities have been removed from the purview of benefit-sharing requirements.
4. The headquarters of the National Biodiversity Authority has been shifted from Chennai to New Delhi.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1, 2 and 3
• C. 2, 3 and 4
• D. 1 and 4 only

Q6. Which one of the following is the principal statutorily mandated function of a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC) under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002?

• A. Granting prior approval for access to biological resources for commercial utilisation by foreign entities
• B. Preparing the People's Biodiversity Register in consultation with local communities
• C. Issuing Internationally Recognised Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs) under the Nagoya Protocol
• D. Notifying areas of biodiversity importance as Biodiversity Heritage Sites

Q7. Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) are constituted by local bodies under which one of the following provisions of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002?

• A. Section 8
• B. Section 22
• C. Section 37
• D. Section 41

Q8. With reference to the Voluntary Certification Scheme for Incentivization of Access and Benefit Sharing (VCS-I-ABS), consider the following entities: 1. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change 2. National Biodiversity Authority 3. Ministry of Ayush 4. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India Which of the above are correctly identified as launching/collaborating partners of the scheme?

1. Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
2. National Biodiversity Authority
3. Ministry of Ayush
4. United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) India

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2, 3 and 4
• C. 1, 2 and 4
• D. 1, 3 and 4

Q9. With reference to the Voluntary Certification Scheme for Incentivization of Access and Benefit Sharing (VCS-I-ABS), consider the following statements: 1. The National Biodiversity Authority is the principal of the scheme. 2. Accreditation of third-party certification bodies under the scheme is provided by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies, a constituent board of the Quality Council of India. 3. India is the first country among the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to operationalise a dedicated voluntary certification scheme on Access and Benefit Sharing. 4. The VCS-I-ABS logo is registered as a Geographical Indication under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

1. The National Biodiversity Authority is the principal of the scheme.
2. Accreditation of third-party certification bodies under the scheme is provided by the National Accreditation Board for Certification Bodies, a constituent board of the Quality Council of India.
3. India is the first country among the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity to operationalise a dedicated voluntary certification scheme on Access and Benefit Sharing.
4. The VCS-I-ABS logo is registered as a Geographical Indication under the Geographical Indications of Goods (Registration and Protection) Act, 1999.

• A. 1 and 2
• B. 3 only
• C. 2 and 4
• D. 4 only

Q10. Which one of the following is the apex statutory authority, headquartered at Chennai, that grants approval to foreign citizens and bodies corporate not registered in India for accessing biological resources occurring in India?

• A. Botanical Survey of India
• B. National Biodiversity Authority
• C. Wildlife Institute of India
• D. Zoological Survey of India

Q11. With reference to the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and the State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) constituted under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, consider the following statements: 1. The NBA is constituted under Section 8 of the Act, whereas the State Biodiversity Boards are constituted under Section 22 of the same Act. 2. Approval for access to biological resources sought by a foreign company or a non-resident Indian is granted by the NBA and not by the State Biodiversity Board concerned. 3. Both the NBA and the State Biodiversity Boards are headquartered in New Delhi. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. The NBA is constituted under Section 8 of the Act, whereas the State Biodiversity Boards are constituted under Section 22 of the same Act.
2. Approval for access to biological resources sought by a foreign company or a non-resident Indian is granted by the NBA and not by the State Biodiversity Board concerned.
3. Both the NBA and the State Biodiversity Boards are headquartered in New Delhi.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 2 and 3 only
• C. 1 only
• D. 1, 2 and 3

Q12. With reference to the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework administered by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), as reported in 2025-26, consider the following statements. Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

1. Cumulative ABS realization disbursed by the NBA to beneficiaries has crossed Rs 145 crore.
2. ABS benefits have reached over 10,500 Biodiversity Management Committees spread across 23 States and 4 Union Territories.
3. The NBA has extended financial support exclusively to State Biodiversity Boards and never to Union Territory Biodiversity Councils.
4. The Voluntary Certification Scheme for Incentivization of ABS (VCS-I-ABS) operationalized by India is the first of its kind in the world.

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1, 2 and 4
• C. 2, 3 and 4
• D. 1 and 4 only

Q13. With reference to India's Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) architecture, consider the following statements: 1. The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023 decriminalized offences and replaced them with a monetary penalty regime. 2. The National Biodiversity Authority is headquartered at Hyderabad. 3. India ratified the Nagoya Protocol on ABS in 2012. 4. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the nodal ministry for implementing the ABS framework. Which of the statements given above is/are NOT correct?

1. The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023 decriminalized offences and replaced them with a monetary penalty regime.
2. The National Biodiversity Authority is headquartered at Hyderabad.
3. India ratified the Nagoya Protocol on ABS in 2012.
4. The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change is the nodal ministry for implementing the ABS framework.

• A. 1 only
• B. 2 only
• C. 2 and 3
• D. 3 and 4

Q14. With reference to the Cali Fund established under the multilateral mechanism on Digital Sequence Information (DSI) on genetic resources, consider the following sectors: 1. Pharmaceuticals 2. Cosmetics 3. Academic and public research institutions 4. Industrial biotechnology Which of the above is/are correctly identified as sectors expected to contribute to the Cali Fund?

1. Pharmaceuticals
2. Cosmetics
3. Academic and public research institutions
4. Industrial biotechnology

• A. 1 and 2 only
• B. 1, 2 and 4
• C. 2, 3 and 4
• D. 1, 3 and 4

Q15. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, adopted at the 15th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, sets how many action-oriented global targets to be achieved by 2030?

• A. 17
• B. 20
• C. 23
• D. 30