On 5 June 2026 (World Environment Day), a Press Information Bureau backgrounder set out how India governs its biodiversity through a three-tier structure that links national policy to grassroots action. For NDA and CDS aspirants, biodiversity institutions, the Biological Diversity Act and the global Convention on Biological Diversity are perennial, high-yield topics. This article explains the news and then builds the complete static picture.
The three-tier structure
India's biodiversity governance operates at three levels:
- National level: the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA).
- State level: State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and Union Territory Biodiversity Councils.
- Local level: Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in every local body (rural and urban), which prepare People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs).
According to the backgrounder, India has established over 2.76 lakh BMCs and more than 2.72 lakh People's Biodiversity Registers, documenting local species, ecosystems and traditional knowledge across the country — one of the largest such community-based documentation efforts in the world.
What is biodiversity?
Biodiversity (biological diversity) is the variety of life on Earth, considered at three levels:
- Genetic diversity — variation within a species (e.g., different varieties of rice).
- Species diversity — the variety of different species.
- Ecosystem diversity — the variety of habitats and ecological communities.
India is one of the world's 17 "megadiverse" countries, holding a large share of global species despite having a smaller share of land area. India has four biodiversity hotspots (regions that are both exceptionally rich in species and exceptionally threatened):
- The Himalaya
- The Western Ghats (and Sri Lanka)
- Indo-Burma (North-East India)
- Sundaland (Nicobar Islands)
The Biological Diversity Act and the NBA
India's domestic law is the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended in 2023), which created the three-tier NBA–SBB–BMC architecture. Its three core objectives mirror the global treaty:
- Conservation of biological diversity;
- Sustainable use of its components;
- Fair and equitable sharing of benefits (ABS) arising from the use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge.
- The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), headquartered in Chennai, is a statutory autonomous body established under the Act in 2003. It regulates access to India's biological resources, particularly by foreign entities, and advises the government.
- People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs), maintained by BMCs, record local biodiversity and the traditional knowledge of communities — empowering local stewardship and supporting benefit-sharing.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
The global framework is the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD):
- It was opened for signature at the 1992 Rio Earth Summit (United Nations Conference on Environment and Development) and came into force in 1993. Its secretariat is in Montreal, Canada.
- Its three objectives are exactly those reflected in India's Act: conservation, sustainable use, and fair benefit-sharing.
- It has two key protocols:
- The Cartagena Protocol (2000) — on biosafety, regulating the transboundary movement of living modified (genetically engineered) organisms.
- The Nagoya Protocol (2010) — on Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) of genetic resources.
The latest global agreement under the CBD is the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF), adopted in 2022, which sets 23 targets for 2030. Its flagship target is "30 by 30" — to conserve at least 30% of the world's land, inland waters and oceans by 2030. It succeeds the earlier Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2011–2020).
India's conservation network
Beyond institutions, India protects biodiversity through a network worth remembering:
- Protected Areas: National Parks, Wildlife Sanctuaries, Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves under the Wildlife (Protection) Act, 1972.
- Biosphere Reserves under UNESCO's Man and the Biosphere programme (e.g., Nilgiri, Sundarbans, Nanda Devi).
- Species programmes: Project Tiger (1973), Project Elephant, Project Lion / Asiatic lion conservation, Project Dolphin, Project Cheetah and the India-led International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA).
- The Botanical Survey of India (BSI) and Zoological Survey of India (ZSI) document India's flora and fauna.
- The global benchmark for species threat status is the IUCN Red List (categories from Least Concern to Critically Endangered, Extinct).
The IUCN Red List categories
Because species-status questions are common, remember the IUCN Red List ladder of threat, from least to most at risk: Least Concern → Near Threatened → Vulnerable → Endangered → Critically Endangered → Extinct in the Wild → Extinct (plus Data Deficient and Not Evaluated). The IUCN is the body that maintains this global "barometer of life," and it also helped create the Ramsar Convention and the World Heritage system.
Other key biodiversity bodies and days
- CITES (1973) — the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species, which regulates cross-border trade in wildlife and wildlife products to prevent over-exploitation.
- CMS (Bonn Convention) — on the conservation of migratory species.
- International days: International Day for Biological Diversity (22 May) and World Environment Day (5 June) — the latter is the world's largest environmental awareness day, led by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), with India having hosted it as the global host in 2018 (theme: "Beat Plastic Pollution").
Why biodiversity is under threat
The major drivers of biodiversity loss — useful for both prelims and essays — are often summarised as "HIPPO":
- Habitat loss and fragmentation (the biggest cause),
- Invasive alien species,
- Pollution,
- Population/over-exploitation (poaching, overfishing),
- Overarching climate change.
India's three-tier governance, protected-area network and species programmes are all aimed at countering these pressures while balancing the needs of a large, developing population.
Why it matters
- Ecological security: biodiversity underpins food, water, medicine, pollination and climate resilience.
- Community stewardship: BMCs and PBRs place conservation and benefit-sharing in local hands.
- Global alignment: links India's domestic law to the CBD and the 30-by-30 target, strengthening India's standing in biodiversity diplomacy.
India's protected-area network in numbers
India's formal conservation network is among the largest in the developing world and is worth knowing in outline:
- National Parks — the strictest category, where no human activity (grazing, cultivation) is generally allowed.
- Wildlife Sanctuaries — slightly less restrictive; some regulated activities may be permitted.
- Conservation Reserves and Community Reserves — buffer or community-managed areas, often involving local people.
- Tiger Reserves under Project Tiger (1973), managed by the National Tiger Conservation Authority (NTCA) — India hosts the majority of the world's wild tigers.
- Elephant Reserves under Project Elephant, and Biosphere Reserves under the UNESCO Man and the Biosphere programme.
India is also a leader in international conservation, having launched Project Cheetah (reintroducing the cheetah) and the International Big Cat Alliance (IBCA) to conserve the world's seven big cats.
Traditional knowledge and benefit-sharing
A distinctive strength of India's system is its focus on traditional knowledge. Communities have used biological resources — medicinal plants, crop varieties, local breeds — for centuries. The Biological Diversity Act and the People's Biodiversity Registers aim to document and protect this knowledge and ensure that when companies use India's biological resources or community knowledge commercially, a fair share of the benefits flows back to the communities (the Access and Benefit-Sharing principle). India has used these provisions to defend traditional knowledge against wrongful patents abroad (famous cases involving turmeric, neem and basmati), supported by the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL).
Key facts for your exam
- Three tiers: NBA (national, HQ Chennai) → SBBs (state) → BMCs (local, prepare PBRs).
- Law: Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended 2023).
- CBD: from the 1992 Rio Earth Summit; objectives = conservation, sustainable use, benefit-sharing; secretariat Montreal.
- Protocols: Cartagena (biosafety) and Nagoya (access & benefit-sharing).
- Kunming-Montreal GBF (2022): 23 targets, flagship "30 by 30."
- India: one of 17 megadiverse nations; 4 biodiversity hotspots (Himalaya, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, Sundaland).
Previous-year & expected exam questions
Q1. The National Biodiversity Authority was established under which Act, and where is it headquartered? Answer: The Biological Diversity Act, 2002; headquartered at Chennai.
Q2. The "Nagoya Protocol" under the CBD deals with — Answer: Access to genetic resources and the fair, equitable sharing of benefits (ABS) arising from their use.
Q3. The "30 by 30" target is associated with which framework? Answer: The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) — to conserve at least 30% of land and oceans by 2030.
Q4. India's four biodiversity hotspots include the Western Ghats and which North-Eastern region? Answer: Indo-Burma (along with the Himalaya and Sundaland/Nicobar).
FAQ
Q1. What are the three levels of biodiversity? Genetic (variation within a species), species (variety of species), and ecosystem (variety of habitats).
Q2. What is a People's Biodiversity Register? A local record, prepared by the Biodiversity Management Committee, of an area's biodiversity and traditional knowledge, supporting conservation and benefit-sharing.
Q3. What is the difference between the Cartagena and Nagoya Protocols? Cartagena deals with biosafety (movement of genetically modified organisms); Nagoya deals with access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources. Both are protocols under the CBD.
Q4. Why is India called "megadiverse"? Because it is among 17 countries that together hold the majority of Earth's species, with rich diversity across the Himalaya, Western Ghats, North-East and its islands.
Q5. What does CITES regulate? The Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (1973) regulates the cross-border trade in wild animals, plants and their products, to prevent over-exploitation.
Q6. What are the main drivers of biodiversity loss? Often summarised as HIPPO — Habitat loss, Invasive species, Pollution, Population/over-exploitation, and Overarching climate change.
Quick revision recap
- Three tiers: NBA (Chennai) → State Biodiversity Boards → Biodiversity Management Committees (prepare People's Biodiversity Registers).
- Law: Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (amended 2023).
- CBD (1992 Rio): conservation + sustainable use + benefit-sharing; protocols Cartagena (biosafety) and Nagoya (ABS).
- Kunming-Montreal GBF (2022): "30 by 30."
- India = 17 megadiverse nations; 4 hotspots (Himalaya, Western Ghats, Indo-Burma, Sundaland).