Biodiversity Act (BDA)

Biodiversity Act (BDA)

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a United Nations initiative to protect Biodiversity and encourage the sustainable use of natural resources. The convention was held in 1992 at the ‘Earth Summit’ in Brazil. India is a signatory of the CBD. The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 is an Act of the Parliament of India for preservation of biological diversity in India, and provides mechanism for equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of traditional biological resources and knowledge. The Act was enacted to meet the obligations under Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), to which India is a party.

The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) was established by the Central Government in 2003 to implement India’s Biological Diversity Act (2002). The NBA is a Statutory Body and it performs facilitative, regulatory and advisory functions for the Government of India on issues of conservation, sustainable use of biological resources and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising out of the use of biological resources. The Headquarters of the NBA is situated in Chennai.

Fresh water, wildlife, food and climate are things which are not just ‘Nice to have’ …. they are ‘Need to have’. These are things indispensable for the survival of mankind….. together, we can protect LIFE on our planet – including our own.