(MENAFN- KNN India) New Delhi, Oct 24 (KNN) The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) has disbursed Rs 1.36 crore to promote grassroots-level biodiversity conservation in Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh.

The funds will be channelled through the respective State Biodiversity Boards to three Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) - Sakharwadi village in Phaltan Taluk, Satara District (Maharashtra); Kunjirwadi village in Haveli Taluk, Pune (Maharashtra); and the Kasganj area in Etah District (Uttar Pradesh).

Each BMC will receive Rs 45.50 lakh to support conservation and livelihood-linked initiatives.

The release marks a concrete Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) payment after a commercial entity utilised microorganisms sourced from soil and industrial effluent samples for the production of fructo-oligosaccharides, a product used in food and pharmaceutical applications.

The funds will be utilised in accordance with Section 44 of the Biological Diversity Act, 2002, and relevant State Biodiversity Rules.

This initiative underscores the NBA's proactive approach in ensuring that local communities, the custodians of India's biological wealth, directly benefit from the commercial use of biodiversity resources.

The model promotes inclusive and participatory conservation, aligning environmental stewardship with socio-economic development.

The action also contributes to National Biodiversity Target–13 under India's National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP) 2024–2030, which aligns with the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework adopted at COP-15 of the UN Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).

By transferring accrued benefits to the grassroots level, the NBA plans to reinforce India's framework for equitable, sustainable, and community-driven biodiversity governance.

(KNN Bureau)

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