What are Biodiversity Management committees (BMC)?
Under Section 41(1) of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, every local body in the State shall constitute a Biodiversity Management Committee within its area of jurisdiction for the purpose of promoting conservation, sustainable use and documentation of biological diversity including preservation of habitats, conservation of land races, folk varieties & cultivars, domesticated stocks and breeds of animals and micro-organisms and chronicling of knowledge relating to biological diversity.
National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) and State Biodiversity Board (SBB) are required to consult the concerned BMCs on matters related to use of biological resources and associated knowledge within their jurisdiction.
How Biodiversity Management committees are key to the realization of the objectives of Nagoya Protocol?
The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity, also known as the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing is a 2010 supplementary agreement to the 1992 Convention on Biological Diversity. It aims to share the benefits that arise from the utilization of genetic resources fairly and equitably thus BMCs have important role to play in the implementation of the provisions of the Nagoya Protocol.
What is the main function of the Biodiversity Management committees (BMC)?
The main function of the BMC is to prepare People’s Biodiversity Register (PBR) in consultation with local people.
The Register shall contain comprehensive information on availability and knowledge of local biological resources, their medicinal or any other use or any other traditional knowledge associated with them.
The BMC may levy charges by way of collection fees from any person for accessing or collecting any biological resource for commercial purposes from areas falling within its territorial jurisdiction.
The NBA and the SBB shall provide guidance and technical support to the BMC for preparing Peoples Biodiversity Registers.
The Peoples Biodiversity Registers shall be maintained and validated by the BMC.
PRACTICE QUESTIONS
QUES . Consider the following statements : UPSC 2023
1 . In India, the Biodiversity Management committees are key to the realization of the objectives of Nagoya Protocol.
2 . The Biodiversity Management committees have important functions in determining access and benefit sharing, including the power to levy collection fees on the access of biological resources within its jurisdiction.
Which of the statements given above is/are correct?
(a) 1 only
(b) 2 only
(c) Both 1 and 2
(d) Neither 1 nor 2
Ans (c)
