Why in News
Biodiversity policy is moving from target-setting to implementation: mobilising finance, measuring ecological outcomes and fairly sharing benefits from genetic resources and associated knowledge.
Static Foundation
CBD objectives are conservation, sustainable use and fair/equitable benefit sharing. ABS links access to resources or knowledge with monetary or non-monetary benefits. The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary CBD agreement on ABS. Digital sequence information complicates benefit-sharing because genetic information can circulate without physical specimens.
Prelims Focus
CBD is not limited to wildlife protection; sustainable use and benefit sharing are explicit objectives. ABS is not simply a biodiversity tax.
Mains Perspective
India should improve traceability, transparent benefit-sharing and ecological outcome measurement while keeping research workable. Finance should reward stewardship and strengthen local institutions.
Practice
MCQ: Benefit sharing is a CBD objective; Nagoya concerns ABS; CBD does NOT address conservation only. Correct: 1 and 2.
Mains: Align biodiversity finance, ecological outcomes and community rights. Discuss.