India, home to nearly 8% of global biodiversity within just 2.4% of the world's land area, has emerged as the global leader in issuing Internationally Recognised Certificates of Compliance (IRCCs) for accessing genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge. According to a progress report on the implementation of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) from 2017 to 2025, India accounted for 60% of all such certificates issued worldwide.
Report Highlights India's Leadership
The report, released by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change on the occasion of the International Day for Biological Diversity in Bhopal on May 22, revealed that India published 3,556 IRCCs. This represents 60% of the global issuance, underscoring the country's commitment to compliance under the Nagoya Protocol. The ABS mechanism has generated both monetary and non-monetary benefits, according to the report.
Understanding the Nagoya Protocol
The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation was adopted in 2010 and entered into force in 2014. It provides the operational framework for implementing ABS. In India, ABS is a statutory mechanism under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, ensuring that benefits from commercial use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge are shared fairly with grassroots communities and knowledge holders.
Under the Protocol, countries granting access to genetic resources must issue IRCCs as official evidence that prior informed consent has been obtained and mutually agreed terms established between users and providers.
Global Comparison
Latest data shows only 34 out of 142 countries registered on the ABS clearing-house have issued IRCCs. Following India, France issued 964 certificates, Spain 320, Argentina 257, Panama 156, and Kenya 144. IRCCs are crucial for tracking genetic resource use from research to commercial applications, ensuring fair benefit-sharing with provider countries.
Financial Benefits Realized
The report also stated that India realized Rs 263 crore through National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) approvals, of which Rs 145 crore was disbursed to beneficiaries, including Biodiversity Management Committees, local communities, and farmers. These funds support conservation initiatives and strengthen livelihoods.
As a biodiversity-rich country, India acts as a provider, permitting access to biological resources and knowledge to entities in countries such as France, USA, Spain, Brazil, UAE, China, and the Netherlands for research and development followed by commercial utilization.
Minister's Address
Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav noted that meaningful global outcomes emerge through strong local action, community participation, and sustainable lifestyles. He observed that community-led conservation traditions, such as sacred groves and folk varieties, demonstrate the deep cultural and ecological relationship between people and nature. Conservation thinking has evolved from focusing on single species to protecting entire ecosystems.
National Biodiversity Report 2026
The ministry also released India's National Report on Biodiversity 2026, summarizing findings from the country's seventh National Report to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in February. The report claims India has strengthened its conservation network with expanded forest and tree cover, Ramsar wetlands, and a robust Protected Area system. Significant progress has been made in agrobiodiversity conservation, ABS, and community engagement through Biodiversity Management Committees.
India's seventh National Report indicates that all 23 National Biodiversity Targets are on track to achieve, demonstrating strong alignment between national priorities and global biodiversity commitments. These targets focus on reducing threats to biodiversity by mitigating habitat loss, climate change, and pollution, and meeting people's needs through sustainable resource use and equitable benefit-sharing.
