National Biodiversity Authority: Structure, Mandate, and Key Functions

#GS-3 #Environment #Biodiversity #GS-2 #Governance & Social Justice #Regulatory Bodies #Current Events #National

Why in News

The **National Green Tribunal (NGT)** started a court case on its own regarding invasive species. Following this order, the **National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)** set up a special expert committee to study invasive alien species.

The **National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)** is an autonomous government body working under the **Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC)**. It makes rules and gives advice to protect India's biological resources and traditional knowledge.
The Union Government established this authority on **October 1, 2003**.
It was formed under the **Biological Diversity Act, 2002**, after India signed the UN **Convention on Biological Diversity** in **1992**.
Its main goal is to protect nature, promote sustainable use of resources, and share benefits fairly with local people under the **Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)** principle.

The authority gives strategic advice to the Union Government on protecting nature and sharing benefits from biological resources.
It guides state governments in selecting and notifying ecologically key areas as **Biodiversity Heritage Sites** under **Section 37** of the Act.
Under **Sections 3, 4, and 6** of the Act, foreign individuals or companies must take prior permission from NBA to access Indian biological resources or apply for **Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)**.
It coordinates with **28 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs)** which oversee commercial use of natural resources by Indian citizens in their states.
It supports nearly **2.76 lakh** local **Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)** at panchayat and city levels to prepare **People's Biodiversity Registers (PBR)**.
It uses its legal powers to create expert committees, like the new panel on invasive alien species, to handle urgent environmental threats.

It stops biopiracy by controlling access to India's biological resources and making sure local communities get their fair share of profits.
It helps India fulfill its global promises under the **Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)** and the **Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework**.