In a novel initiative, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has released patent-linked Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) funds amounting to ₹43.22 lakh. The funds were generated from Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) applications that utilised Indian biological resources for obtaining patents and commercialising the innovation. It marks a significant step in ensuring that benefits derived from innovations based on Indian biological resources are equitably shared, particularly with communities, knowledge holders, and custodians who have conserved these resources for generations.

The ABS amount has been disbursed to sixteen State Biodiversity Boards, namely, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal, for onward release to the respective benefit claimers.

Major ABS recipients [SBBs] include:

• Andhra Pradesh SBB [₹20,66,553]

• Tamil Nadu SBB [₹16,79,482]

• Odisha SBB [₹2,09,965]

• Uttar Pradesh SBB [₹91,500]

• Madhya Pradesh SBB [₹79,547]

The ABS, once transferred to the Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), will support biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management, and community-based livelihood strengthening. This may include activities such as creation and updating of People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), documentation of traditional knowledge, and other local conservation initiatives. This milestone reinforces India’s commitment to fair and equitable benefit sharing under the Nagoya Protocol, while strengthening grassroots-level biodiversity governance across the country.

 

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