The new framework strengthens the BDA, 2002, through streamlining of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) fund use and revised repository guidelines
New Framework
- ABS Fund Utilisation
- Identifiable Sources:
- When resources are sourced from identifiable institutions or repositories, 25–40% of ABS funds go to them.
- The remaining 60–75% is shared with local communities via State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs).
- Unidentifiable Origins: If resources are accessed from intermediaries or traders, the ABS funds will be utilized directly for biodiversity conservation and management.
- Identifiable Sources:
- Revised Repository Guidelines: Includes provisions like Promotion of digital records for traceability and identification.
What is Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)?
- ABS refers to how genetic resources may be accessed and how the benefits resulting from their use are shared between the people/countries using the resources (users) and those that provide them (providers).
- Framework: Covered under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
- The Bonn Guidelines and Nagoya Protocol (2010) deal with the ABS.
- Along with BDA, 2002, it is regulated by Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Regulations 2025.
