India’s National Biodiversity Authority has released ₹2.82 crore under the Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanism to support biodiversity conservation and community-focused activities across the country.

The funds were released on Aug. 22, with ₹2.80 crore going to 27 State Biodiversity Boards and three Union Territory Biodiversity Councils. Another ₹2.01 lakh is being released to the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research in Karnataka.

The funding comes from payments linked to the commercial use of India’s biological resources. The National Biodiversity Authority said it received ₹2.94 crore from Advanta Enterprises Ltd., formerly UPL Ltd., for the use of genetic resources associated with 24 vegetable hybrids.

Gujarat And West Bengal Receive Largest Shares

The allocation covers resources associated with eight cauliflower hybrids, five hot pepper hybrids, five okra hybrids and six tomato hybrids.

Because the resources could not be linked to specific farmers, communities or a single geographic location, an expert committee recommended a distribution mechanism based on cultivation patterns across states and Union territories.

Gujarat received the largest allocation at ₹44.59 lakh, followed by West Bengal at ₹41.24 lakh and Madhya Pradesh at ₹32.73 lakh. Odisha received ₹32.57 lakh and Bihar ₹30.86 lakh.

The funds can be used for People's Biodiversity Registers, ecosystem restoration, conservation projects, Biodiversity Heritage Sites and capacity building for Biodiversity Management Committees.

Funds Also Support Agricultural Research

Separately, the authority received ₹7.15 lakh from Sumitomo Chemical India Ltd. for access to two microbial strains sourced from ICAR-IIHR in Karnataka.

Under the approved mechanism, 30% of the amount, or ₹2.01 lakh, is being provided to the research institute. The funds are intended for repository maintenance, research, biodiversity surveys, taxonomy training and conservation activities.

The National Biodiversity Authority said total Access and Benefit-Sharing funds released so far have reached ₹185 crore.

The mechanism is linked to India’s obligations under the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol. It also supports the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework, including Target 13 on fair and equitable benefit-sharing from genetic resources.