News: NBA released ₹1.36 crore to Biodiversity Management Committees in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh under Access and Benefit Sharing.
About National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)
- It is a statutory, autonomous body under the Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change.
- Established: It was established in 2003 by the Central Government of India.
- Established under: It was established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- Headquarters: Its headquarters is located in Chennai.
- Motto: Its motto is to implement the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- Complementary entities: Under the Biodiversity Act, 2002 and the Biodiversity Rules, 2004, two complementary entities – State Biodiversity Boards at the State level and Biodiversity Management Committees at the local village level – have been established to complement the NBA.
- Structure: It functions through the Authority and Secretariat, and works with State Biodiversity Boards and local Biodiversity Management Committees (BMC).
- Functions
- It performs regulatory, facilitative, enabling, and advisory functions on conservation, sustainable use, and fair and equitable sharing of benefits.
- It implements the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and the Biodiversity Rules, 2004, including access and benefit sharing with State Boards and BMCs.
- Composition
- A Chairperson: An eminent person with knowledge and experience in conservation, sustainable use, and equitable benefit sharing.
- 10 ex-officio members: From the Government of India.
- 5 non-official members: Experts in different aspects of biodiversity management.
- Significance
- The NBA’s transfer of accrued benefits to local communities reinforces an inclusive governance framework that links conservation with community prosperity.
- This action also fulfils National Biodiversity Target-13 in India’s NBSAP 2024–2030 and aligns with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at CoP-15 of the UN CBD.
