In a landmark move, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has, for the first time, released Rs 43.22 lakh in patent-linked Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) funds to benefit claimants across the country. The funds were generated from Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) applications that utilised Indian biological resources for patents and commercialisation, marking a major step toward ensuring equitable sharing of benefits derived from India’s biodiversity.

The amount has been disbursed to sixteen State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs), including Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Goa, Gujarat, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Odisha, Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and West Bengal, for onward transfer to the respective benefit claimants.

Among the major recipients, Andhra Pradesh received Rs 20.66 lakh, Tamil Nadu got Rs 16.79 lakh, while Odisha, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh received Rs 2.09 lakh, Rs 91,500, and Rs 79,547, respectively.

Once transferred to Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs), the funds will be used to strengthen biodiversity conservation, sustainable resource management, and community-based livelihood initiatives. These efforts will support activities such as updating People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs) and documenting traditional knowledge at the local level.

This milestone underscores India’s commitment to fair and equitable benefit sharing under the Nagoya Protocol, while bolstering grassroots biodiversity governance and recognising the role of local communities as custodians of the nation’s rich biological heritage.