New Delhi, February 11 The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has provided financial assistance worth ₹6.09 crore to State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs) based on proposals received in 2025-26, government officials said on Wednesday.
The support is being provided to help SBBs and UTBCs effectively implement the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023 – which mandates conservation, sustainable use, and equitable benefit sharing arising from biological resources – at state and local body levels, they said.
The NBA is a statutory and regulatory body under the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC).
"With a substantial number of People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) prepared in a time-bound manner, the current phase of assistance prioritizes: improving the quality of PBRs; strengthening and functionalizing Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs); capacity building and awareness generation; technical guidance through thematic expert committees; knowledge exchange through peer learning visits; and digital strengthening through website development," a senior official said.
The BMCs are responsible for preparing the People's Biodiversity Register, which is a comprehensive account documenting the local bio-resources along with related traditional knowledge and practices of the concerned area.
So far, 2,76,653 BMCs have been constituted and 2,72,648 PBRs have been prepared across the country.
"The financial support aims to enhance Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) implementation...By strengthening institutions at the local level and linking conservation with community welfare, the NBA continues to advance an inclusive and participatory model of biodiversity governance where ecological sustainability and livelihood security go hand in hand," the official added.
ABS is a process through which genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge are legitimately accessed and a fair share of the resultant benefits is shared with the holders.
