MoEFCC and NBA launch world's first voluntary certification scheme for Access and Benefit Sharing
The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change (MoEFCC) and the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) launched the Voluntary Certification Scheme for Incentivization of Access and Benefit Sharing (VCS-I-ABS), described as the world's first dedicated scheme of its kind, under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002. The scheme, voluntary by design, awards a logo and a certificate to business entities that have already complied with the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) requirements under the Biological Diversity Act, the Biological Diversity Rules and the Access and Benefit Sharing Regulations, effectively building a recognised 'brand' for compliant firms. The ABS mechanism ensures that benefits arising from the commercial and research use of biological resources are shared fairly and equitably with local communities, Biodiversity Management Committees, farmers and traditional-knowledge holders, creating a direct economic incentive for conservation while promoting sustainable use.
Key Facts & Details
8 points- 1MoEFCC and the NBA launched the VCS-I-ABS scheme under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- 2It is described as the world's first dedicated voluntary certification scheme for ABS incentivisation.
- 3The scheme awards a logo and certificate to entities already complying with ABS requirements.
- 4It builds a recognised brand for businesses that meet ABS obligations.
- 5The ABS mechanism shares benefits from biological-resource use with communities and knowledge holders.
Deep Dive
- +ABS creates a direct economic incentive for conserving biodiversity and using it sustainably.
- +Benefits are shared with Biodiversity Management Committees, farmers and traditional-knowledge holders.
- +The scheme aligns India's domestic framework with international commitments on benefit sharing.
Exam Focus
Under which Act did the MoEFCC and NBA launch the world's first voluntary certification scheme (VCS-I-ABS)?
Related Topics
Exam Relevance & Angle
Biodiversity governance, the NBA and the Access and Benefit Sharing mechanism are recurring environment and polity topics, and a 'world's first' scheme tied to the Biological Diversity Act is a distinctive, easily testable fact for banking GA and UPSC alike.
Target Exams
Background & Context
The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 is India's principal law for the conservation of biological diversity, the sustainable use of its components and the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the use of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge, enacted to give effect to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) of 1992 and later the Nagoya Protocol. It established a three-tier structure: the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) at the national level, State Biodiversity Boards and local Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs). Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is the principle, central to the CBD and the Nagoya Protocol, that those who access genetic resources or traditional knowledge for commercial or research purposes must share the benefits with the country and communities that conserved them. The NBA, a statutory body under the MoEFCC, administers ABS agreements and has built digital tools and certification mechanisms to streamline compliance and channel funds back to conservation.
Related GK Concepts
Must KnowTest Yourself
1 / 2The VCS-I-ABS scheme launched in 2026 operates under which law?
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