Agricultural Biological Resources Generate ₹1.04 Crore in ABS Benefits
Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change · Environment · Posted 24 OCT 2026 10:38PM
What happened
The National Biodiversity Authority disbursed around ₹1.04 crore in Access and Benefit-Sharing funds from agricultural resources to state and UT biodiversity boards to support conservation initiatives.
Why it matters for UPSC
This release illustrates India's implementation of Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) mechanisms under the Biological Diversity Act, highlighting key topics for UPSC under environmental governance, biodiversity conservation, and international environmental conventions.
Key objectives
- Disbursed around ₹1.04 crore of Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) amount among 27 State Biodiversity Boards and two UT Biodiversity Councils using an area-based approach.
- Contributions received from companies for utilizing agricultural biological resources including pearl millet, jowar, maize, rice, and bottle gourd for research and commercial purposes.
- NBA has released over ₹204 crore in total ABS benefits till date, aligned with the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and international frameworks like the Nagoya Protocol and Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework.