Authentic Classroom Explanation | By IAS Monk

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📌 The Question

Consider the following statements:

1. In India, the Biodiversity Management Committees are key to the realization of the objectives of the Nagoya Protocol.
2. The Biodiversity Management Committees have important functions in determining access and benefit sharing, including the power to levy collection fees on the access of biological resources within its jurisdiction.

Which of the statements given above is/are correct?

(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2

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✅ Correct Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2

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🧑‍🏫 Classroom Explanation

Statement 1 is correct
Under Section 41(1) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, every local body must constitute a Biodiversity Management Committee (BMC).
BMCs are central to:

• Conservation of biodiversity
• Sustainable use of biological resources
• Documentation of traditional knowledge

The Nagoya Protocol (2010) operationalizes Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) under the Convention on Biological Diversity. Since BMCs function at the local governance level, they are crucial to implementing Nagoya Protocol objectives in India.

Statement 2 is correct
Key functions of BMCs include:

• Preparation of People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs)
• Advising State Biodiversity Boards on ABS matters
• Levying collection fees for commercial access to biological resources within their jurisdiction

Thus, BMCs directly influence who accesses biological resources and on what terms, making them operational pillars of ABS.

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⚡ Curiosity Raiser

Why did global biodiversity law deliberately shift power from national capitals to village-level committees? 🌱

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📚 Enrich Notes (Prelims Gold)

• Legal basis: Biological Diversity Act, 2002
• Institutional triangle:
  • National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)
  • State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs)
  • Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)
• PBRs are the backbone of:
  • ABS claims
  • Protection of traditional knowledge
• India is among the few countries with a legally empowered local ABS mechanism

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🕊️ IAS Monk Whisper

“When communities guard knowledge, biodiversity stops being exploited and starts being shared.”