- The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) received Rs 9.68 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework during the April–September 2026 period. - Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is a core mechanism under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and the international Nagoya Protocol, ensuring that commercial utilization of biological resources or traditional knowledge shares financial benefits with local communities and conservation efforts. - Funds collected under ABS are channeled down to local-level Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) to support biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and documentation of local people's biodiversity registers. - The growth in ABS collections reflects better compliance, monitoring, and awareness among industrial users of biological resources (such as pharma, cosmetics, and botanical sectors) in India. - **National Biodiversity Authority (NBA):** A statutory body established by India under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 to regulate access to biological resources and coordinate the implementation of benefit-sharing mechanisms. - **Biological Diversity Act, 2002:** India's umbrella legislation enacted to conserve biological diversity, promote sustainable use, and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits with local communities. - **Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing:** An international supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity that provides a transparent legal framework for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. - **Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs):** Local-level bodies mandated under the Biological Diversity Act to document local biodiversity resources and prepare People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs). - **State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs):** State-level statutory boards that regulate commercial utilization and access to biological resources by Indian citizens and corporate entities within respective states. **Introduction** The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) collected Rs 9.68 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework between April and September 2026. This mechanism, anchored by India's Biological Diversity Act, 2002 and the Nagoya Protocol, ensures fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of biological resources with local communities and grassroots conservation bodies like Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs). **Core Issue and Detailed Points** - The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) received Rs 9.68 crore under the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) framework during the April–September 2026 period. - Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is a core mechanism under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and the international Nagoya Protocol, ensuring that commercial utilization of biological resources or traditional knowledge shares financial benefits with local communities and conservation efforts. - Funds collected under ABS are channeled down to local-level Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) to support biodiversity conservation, sustainable livelihoods, and documentation of local people's biodiversity registers. - The growth in ABS collections reflects better compliance, monitoring, and awareness among industrial users of biological resources (such as pharma, cosmetics, and botanical sectors) in India. **Key Statutory Bodies, Acts & Concepts** - **National Biodiversity Authority (NBA):** A statutory body established by India under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 to regulate access to biological resources and coordinate the implementation of benefit-sharing mechanisms. - **Biological Diversity Act, 2002:** India's umbrella legislation enacted to conserve biological diversity, promote sustainable use, and ensure fair and equitable sharing of benefits with local communities. - **Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing:** An international supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity that provides a transparent legal framework for the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from genetic resources. - **Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs):** Local-level bodies mandated under the Biological Diversity Act to document local biodiversity resources and prepare People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs). - **State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs):** State-level statutory boards that regulate commercial utilization and access to biological resources by Indian citizens and corporate entities within respective states.