The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC), in collaboration with the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), has submitted India’s First National Report (NR1) on the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) on February 27, 2026, in accordance with Article 29 of the Protocol on Monitoring and Reporting.
The report covers the period from November 1, 2017 to December 31, 2025 and highlights India’s progress in implementing the Nagoya Protocol while contributing to Target 13 of India’s updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP). India had earlier submitted its Interim National Report in November 2017.
India’s ABS framework operates under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, supported by the Biological Diversity Rules, 2024 and the ABS Regulations, 2025, through a three-tier institutional structure comprising the National Biodiversity Authority, State Biodiversity Boards/Union Territory Biodiversity Councils, and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the local level. More than 2,76,653 BMCs have been established across the country, strengthening community participation in biodiversity governance and benefit-sharing mechanisms.
During the reporting period (2017–2025), India issued 12,830 ABS approvals, including 5,913 approvals by the NBA for entities under Section 3(2) of the Biological Diversity Act covering research, bio-survey, commercial utilisation, transfer of research results, intellectual property rights and third-party transfers, and 6,917 approvals by SBBs/UTBCs for Section 7 entities for commercial utilisation of biological resources. India has also published 3,556 Internationally Recognised Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs) on the ABS Clearing-House, in accordance with Article 17 of the Nagoya Protocol, representing over 60% of the global total and demonstrating India’s leadership in transparency and compliance.
Implementation of the ABS framework has generated significant benefits. During the reporting period, Rs 216.31 crore (USD 28.04 million) was mobilised through NBA approvals, of which Rs 139.69 crore (USD 16.83 million) has been disbursed to benefit claimers, including BMCs, local communities, farmers and traditional knowledge holders, supporting biodiversity conservation and livelihoods. In addition, Rs 51.96 crore (USD 6.56 million) was generated through approvals granted by SBBs/UTBCs for commercial utilisation by Indian entities under Section 7 of the Act. Furthermore, 395 NBA approvals incorporated non-monetary benefits, including capacity building, training, technology transfer and collaborative research.
In line with the Nagoya Protocol, India also monitors the utilisation of foreign-sourced biological resources and associated traditional knowledge, and 41 declarations were received by NBA in Form 10 for the use of foreign bioresources as required under Rules 18 of the BD rules, 2024 and Section 36A of the BD Act, 2002.
India has also undertaken extensive awareness and capacity-building initiatives to strengthen ABS implementation. A total of 2,56,393 individuals were trained through 3,724 workshops and programmes, alongside over 600 capacity-building initiatives nationwide.
With a strong legal framework, robust institutions and active community participation, India has emerged as a global leader in implementing the Nagoya Protocol.
