India’s First National Report on the Nagoya Protocol: Recently, India has submitted its first National Report (NR1) on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) to the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
This report was submitted on February 27, 2026, by the Ministry of Environment, Forest, and Climate Change (MoEFCC) with the collaboration of the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).
This report highlights India’s progressive contribution in the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol, and also contributes to target 13, India’s updated National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan
India’s First National Report on the Nagoya Protocol
The submission of India’s first National Report on the Nagoya Protocol marks an important milestone in achieving global environmental compliance.
This report was submitted under Article 29 of the Nagoya Protocol, which is used for the monitoring and reporting of the protocol, and it also highlights India’s progress toward biodiversity conservation and governance.
This report covers the period from 1 November 2017 to 31 December 2025, documenting India’s implementation efforts and aligning them with Target 13 of the National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP).
These are the focus areas, which include:
- Implementation of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)
- Making the coordination institutionally wise
- Also targeted toward the biodiversity conservation
- Legal and policy development is also focused
What are the institutional frameworks for Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) in India?
India follows the three-tier decentralisation institutional mechanism for the effective implementation of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), which are:
- National Level: National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)
- State Level: State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) / UT Biodiversity Councils
- Local Level: Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)
India has already established more than 276,653 Biodiversity Management Committees. These committees are making people aware to participate actively in the conservation of biodiversity and benefit-sharing mechanisms.
What are the financial benefits generated from the ABS implementation?
From the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol ABS framework in India, there are many financial benefit outcomes that has been generated, which are:
- From the approval of the NBA, ₹216.31 crore are mobilized
- ₹139.69 crore is distributed to the benefit claimant and those who belong to the local community, including farmers, and traditional holders are also given it.
- ₹51.96 crore generated through State Biodiversity Boards’ approvals
What is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)?
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a comprehensive and legally binding international treaty, which was inspired by the world community’s growing commitment toward sustainable development, which came in June 1992 and entered into force in December 1993.
How many objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)?
There are three objectives of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), which are:
- Conservation of the Biological Diversity
- Sustainable use of its component
- There must be fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources.
The CBD always shares its equitable ways for its members to access their genetic resources with other members in a fair way. So that every member of CBD gets the benefit arising from the commercial use of such resources.
And for this, EFPIA (European Federation of Pharmaceutical Industries and Associations) and IFPMA (International Federation of Pharmaceutical Manufacturers and Associations) always support the CBD to achieve its goal toward the fair and balanced sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources for ac members
What is the Nagoya Protocol?
The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), providing an international and transparent legal framework for the effective implementation of the third objective of the CBD.
It was signed in October 2010, requiring signatories to take measures to ensure that only legally acquired genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge were utilized within their jurisdiction.
The Nagoya Protocol has three main pillars, which are:
- Access: Establish more predictable conditions for access to genetic resources.
- Benefit-sharing: Ensure benefit-sharing between users and providers of genetic resources.
- Compliance: Ensure that only legally acquired genetic resources are used.
The Nagoya Protocol entered into force on October 12th, 2014, as did EU Regulation No. 511/2014 compliance measures for users from the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their utilisation in the Union.
