UPSC Prelims 2023 Q79: Environment & Ecology – Environmental Governance & Legislation
- (a) 1 only
- (b) 2 only
- (c) Both 1 and 2
- (d) Neither 1 nor 2
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2
Explanation
Biodiversity Management Committees and Nagoya Protocol
| Statement | Claim | Verdict | Detail |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) are key to realising Nagoya Protocol objectives | TRUE | BMCs are constituted at local body level under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. They document local biodiversity (People's Biodiversity Registers) and manage Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) — the core of the Nagoya Protocol. |
| 2 | BMCs have important functions in ABS, including power to levy collection fees on biological resources | TRUE | Under Biological Diversity Rules 2004, BMCs can levy charges on persons accessing biological resources from their jurisdiction. This fee power makes them active participants in benefit-sharing under Nagoya. |
Both statements are correct.
Answer: (c) Both 1 and 2.
Why each option is right or wrong
- (a) Incorrect. Statement 1 alone — Statement 2 about BMC fee-levying powers is also correct.
- (b) Incorrect. Statement 2 alone — BMCs are indeed central to India's implementation of the Nagoya Protocol.
- (c) CORRECT. Both statements are correct — BMCs are instrumental for Nagoya Protocol ABS implementation, and they have the authority to levy fees on biological resource access.
- (d) Incorrect. 'Neither' — BMCs are a key institutional mechanism under the Biological Diversity Act for implementing ABS obligations.
Key point
BMCs = local ABS gatekeepers under Biological Diversity Act 2002. Key to Nagoya Protocol ✓. Power to levy fees on biological resource access ✓. Both statements correct. India ratified Nagoya Protocol in 2012.
Remember
Biodiversity Management Committees are central to realising India's Nagoya Protocol obligations through Access and Benefit Sharing. They maintain People's Biodiversity Registers and have the authority to levy collection fees on biological resources accessed within their jurisdiction. Both statements are correct.
Common mistakes
- Thinking BMCs are only documentation bodies — they have active regulatory powers including fee collection, which is essential for benefit-sharing.
- Not connecting BMCs to the Nagoya Protocol — Nagoya Protocol (2010) operationalises the CBD's ABS provisions; BMCs are India's local implementation mechanism.
- Underestimating BMC powers — fee-levying authority over biological resource access makes them important conservation governance institutions.
Exam tip
Nagoya Protocol = Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) from genetic resources. BMC = local level implementation: People's Biodiversity Register + fee collection on resource access. India's Biological Diversity Act 2002 → BMCs at panchayat level → Nagoya implementation.
Sources
- Biological Diversity Act, 2002 — Section 41 (BMCs)
- Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing — UNCBD