The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) is a statutory body established under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. It regulates access to India's biological resources and ensures that the benefits of their commercial use are shared fairly.
Basic Details
- Type: Statutory body.
- Headquarters: Chennai, Tamil Nadu.
- Statutory Basis: Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- Reports to: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Genesis
- Enabling Law: Parliament enacted the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, to give effect to India's obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
- Establishment: The Central Government established the NBA under this Act to regulate access to India's biological resources and associated traditional knowledge.
Powers and Functions
- Approval Authority: Approves access to Indian biological resources by foreign entities and their use for research or commercial purposes.
- Benefit-Sharing Mechanism: Determines and oversees Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) terms, ensuring that a share of the commercial value generated from India's genetic resources reaches the state or community the resources originated from.
- Three-Tier Structure: Works alongside State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the local level.
Significance
- Sovereignty over Bioresources: The NBA's approval mechanism asserts India's sovereign rights over its genetic resources, in line with the Nagoya Protocol.
- Community Benefit: Its ABS disbursals, such as the ₹15.52 crore released for mustard genetic resources, channel commercial gains from India's biodiversity back to the states and communities associated with those resources.