The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has allocated Rs 45.05 lakh to over 90 Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in 10 States and two Union Territories. This amount stems from the commercial utilization of various biological resources, such as insects, microorganisms, and Red Sanders.
Benefit claimers are receiving their share through State Biodiversity Boards and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils, aligning with NBA’s aim to protect biodiversity and ensure fair benefit distribution. The BMCs in states like Telangana, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh, among others, are among the beneficiaries, including 15 Red Sanders farmers from Andhra Pradesh.
These committees, spanning diverse ecological settings from villages to industrial areas, are benefiting from the development of various products using the disbursed biological resources. The Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanism facilitates the return of commercial benefits to communities, promoting livelihood improvement and biodiversity conservation.
The NBA’s recent efforts have focused on simplifying regulations for transparency and business ease, all while safeguarding community interests and biodiversity. Collaborating with various stakeholders, the NBA advocates for biodiversity conservation, traditional knowledge documentation, and participatory biodiversity management at the grassroots level.
