UPSC Prelims Practice Questions — India releases Four Key Publications on Biodiversity Conservation, Biosafety and Access and Benefit Sharing at CBD COP-17, in Yerevan, Armenia

Q1. With reference to the two supplementary protocols of the Convention on Biological Diversity, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Under the Cartagena Protocol, the advance informed agreement procedure applies before the first intentional transboundary movement of a living modified organism meant for introduction into the environment of the importing Party.
  2. Under the Cartagena Protocol, living modified organisms intended for direct use as food or feed, or for processing, must go through the same advance informed agreement procedure as those meant for release into the environment.
  3. Under the Nagoya Protocol, access to genetic resources is subject to the prior informed consent of the Party providing them, unless that Party decides otherwise, and mutually agreed terms are set out in writing.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1, 2 and 3
  • C. 2 and 3 only
  • D. 1 only

Q2. With reference to the advance informed agreement (AIA) procedure under the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. Living modified organisms that are only passing in transit through a Party's territory are exempt from the AIA procedure.
  2. Living modified organisms destined for contained use in the importing Party must go through the AIA procedure, whatever that Party's own standards for contained use.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 only
  • C. Both 1 and 2
  • D. Neither 1 nor 2

Q3. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. A sacred grove or a forest managed mainly for watershed protection can qualify as an Other Effective Area-based Conservation Measure (OECM) even though biodiversity conservation is not its primary management objective.
  2. Under the CBD, an area is recognised as an OECM on the basis of the positive, sustained, long-term in-situ conservation outcomes it achieves, not on the basis of its declared management purpose.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q4. Consider the following facts: I. India's I-OECM Guidelines 2026 allow areas outside conventional protected areas to be designated as OECMs if they meet set criteria and governance requirements. II. Target 3 of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework counts both protected areas and OECMs towards the goal of conserving 30% of land, inland waters, and coastal and marine areas. Which of the following inferences can be drawn from the above?

  1. India can add to the area it reports towards Target 3 without notifying new protected areas under its wildlife law.
  2. An area designated as an I-OECM thereby acquires the legal status of a protected area.
  3. Designating OECMs by itself ensures that India meets Target 3's requirement of equitably governed conservation.
  • A. 2 and 3 only
  • B. 1 only
  • C. 1 and 2 only
  • D. 1 and 3 only

Q5. Consider the following statements: Which of the following is correct in respect of the above statements?

  1. The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework was adopted through a decision of the Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
  2. Like the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols, the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is a legally binding protocol that binds only those CBD Parties that ratify it.
  • A. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct and Statement-II explains Statement-I
  • B. Both Statement-I and Statement-II are correct, but Statement-II does not explain Statement-I
  • C. Statement-I is correct, but Statement-II is incorrect
  • D. Statement-I is incorrect, but Statement-II is correct

Q6. A foreign firm wishes to collect a medicinal plant in India and use it to develop a commercial product. India can require the firm to obtain its prior informed consent and agree on benefit-sharing terms before access. Which principle of the Convention on Biological Diversity most directly provides the basis for this requirement?

  • A. The precautionary approach, under which access is restricted until there is scientific certainty about harm
  • B. Common but differentiated responsibilities, with developed States bearing the larger burden of conservation
  • C. Sovereign rights of States over their natural resources, with authority over access resting with governments
  • D. Genetic resources as the common heritage of humankind, open to access by all States and their nationals

Q7. With reference to the multilateral mechanism for benefit-sharing from the use of digital sequence information (DSI) on genetic resources, consider the following statements: Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

  1. The mechanism covers DSI only where the user has first obtained prior informed consent from the country of origin of the sequence.
  2. Companies and other users of DSI are the intended contributors to the global fund set up under the mechanism.
  3. The mechanism was put in place through a decision of the CBD Conference of the Parties, not through an amendment of the Nagoya Protocol.
  • A. 1 and 3 only
  • B. 1 and 2 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 2 and 3 only

Q8. Consider the following assertion: Bilateral access and benefit-sharing arrangements of the kind envisaged under the Nagoya Protocol are poorly suited to capturing benefits from digital sequence information (DSI). Which of the statements given above support/supports the assertion?

  1. Much DSI sits in publicly available databases, from which it can be used without any physical access to samples in a provider country.
  2. Benefits under the Nagoya Protocol may be non-monetary, such as the sharing of research results, as well as monetary.
  3. Under the Nagoya Protocol, prior informed consent and mutually agreed terms are tied to the act of accessing genetic resources from a provider Party.
  • A. 1 only
  • B. 2 and 3 only
  • C. 1, 2 and 3
  • D. 1 and 3 only