What Happened
- Dapur village in Maharashtra received Rs 67,69,359 (approximately Rs 68 lakh) in November 2025 — a benefit-sharing payment triggered by the commercial use of a bacterial strain collected from two kilograms of its soil.
- In 2024, biotechnology firm Advanced Enzyme Technologies collected soil samples from Dapur, identified the bacterium Bacillus coagulans — a heat-stable probiotic organism — and developed 42 probiotic products from it.
- The payment was made under India's Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism, which requires companies using biological resources from Indian communities to share commercial profits with the source community.
- Under the mechanism, 95% of the payment goes directly to the local community; 5% covers administrative costs.
- The funds must be used exclusively for biodiversity conservation; Dapur plans to build a botanical garden, establish a sacred grove, and prepare a People's Biodiversity Register (PBR).
Static Topic Bridges
Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) — The Nagoya Protocol and India's Implementation
ABS is an international framework under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) that governs how genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge are accessed and how the resulting commercial benefits are shared equitably with source communities. It rests on three pillars: Prior Informed Consent (PIC), Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT), and fair and equitable benefit sharing.
- CBD adopted in 1992 at the Rio Earth Summit; entered into force December 29, 1993
- Nagoya Protocol on ABS: Adopted October 29, 2010 at COP-10 in Nagoya, Japan; entered into force October 12, 2014
- India signed the Nagoya Protocol in 2011 and ratified it in October 2012 at COP-11 in Hyderabad
- India's domestic implementation: Biological Diversity Act, 2002 + Biological Diversity Rules, 2004 + ABS Guidelines, 2014
- Benefit-sharing percentages under ABS Guidelines, 2014: typically 1–5% of the purchase price or 0.1–0.5% of final product sale price
- PIC: the community or nation providing the resource must give informed consent before access
- MAT: terms of benefit-sharing are negotiated between the user and the provider before access
Connection to this news: The Rs 68 lakh payment to Dapur is a landmark real-world application of the ABS mechanism — demonstrating how a local community's soil microbiome, accessed under the Biological Diversity Act, can generate tangible monetary returns for conservation.
India's Biological Diversity Act, 2002 — Institutional Framework
India's Biological Diversity Act (BDA) is the primary legislation implementing the CBD. It establishes a three-tier regulatory structure for managing biodiversity access and benefit sharing.
- National Biodiversity Authority (NBA): Set up in 2003, headquartered in Chennai; approves access by foreign entities and Indian companies for commercial use, research, and bio-survey
- State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs): State-level regulators; oversee access by Indian entities for commercial purposes
- Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs): Village/local body level; prepare and maintain People's Biodiversity Registers (PBRs); give consent for access by local communities
- People's Biodiversity Register (PBR): A comprehensive document prepared by BMCs documenting local biological diversity, including species, habitats, and folk varieties — serves as evidence of community stewardship
- Key Sections: Section 3 (foreign access requires NBA approval), Section 7 (Indian entities need SBB approval for commercial use), Section 41 (BMC constitution), Section 36 (National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan)
- Amendment: Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023 — eased compliance for certain categories (e.g., codified traditional knowledge, AYUSH sector) while tightening ABS enforcement for commercial bio-prospecting
Connection to this news: Dapur's BMC is the body that gave consent for soil sample collection and will oversee how the Rs 68 lakh benefit is deployed for conservation. The PBR that the village now plans to prepare will formally document its biodiversity assets, strengthening future ABS claims.
Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022) and the 30x30 Target
The Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) was adopted at CBD COP-15 in December 2022, setting the global biodiversity agenda through 2030. It succeeded the Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2011–2020) and introduced the landmark "30x30" target.
- 30x30 target: Protect at least 30% of the world's land and 30% of the world's oceans by 2030
- GBF Target 13 specifically addresses ABS: strengthening the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from genetic resources
- India is a Party to the CBD and a signatory to the GBF
- India's current protected area coverage: approximately 5% of land area under national parks and wildlife sanctuaries; ~8% including all protected area categories
Connection to this news: The Dapur ABS payment illustrates how the GBF's benefit-sharing targets translate into community-level economic incentives for biodiversity conservation — creating a positive feedback loop where financial returns motivate communities to protect their natural assets.
Key Facts & Data
- Payment received by Dapur village: Rs 67,69,359 (~Rs 68 lakh) — received November 2025
- Bacterial strain identified: Bacillus coagulans (heat-stable probiotic)
- Commercial products developed from the strain: 42 probiotic products
- Company involved: Advanced Enzyme Technologies
- ABS benefit split: 95% to community, 5% administrative costs
- Nagoya Protocol: Adopted 2010 (Nagoya, Japan); in force October 2014
- India's ratification of Nagoya Protocol: October 2012 (COP-11, Hyderabad)
- Biological Diversity Act enacted: 2002
- ABS benefit-sharing range: 1–5% of purchase price or 0.1–0.5% of final sale price
- People's Biodiversity Register (PBR): Prepared by Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at local body level
- CBD adopted: 1992 (Rio Earth Summit); in force December 1993
- Kunming-Montreal GBF: Adopted COP-15, December 2022; 30x30 target by 2030