The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021

The Biological Diversity (Amendment) Bill, 2021 is a legislative proposal designed to modify the 2002 framework by streamlining access and benefit-sharing mechanisms, decriminalizing offences, and encouraging investment in traditional medicine.

• It alters the regulatory landscape by exempting registered AYUSH practitioners and local communities from prior approval requirements for accessing biological resources.
• The bill decriminalizes environmental offences under the act, replacing prison terms with monetary penalties to foster ease of doing business in research and manufacturing.
• It aligns domestic biodiversity governance with international commitments under the Nagoya Protocol while addressing commercial concerns over compliance burdens.

UPSC evaluates this topic under GS Paper III to test candidates on the tension between bio-resource commercialization and community conservation rights. Questions often require an assessment of whether decriminalization weakens deterrence against biopiracy or facilitates indigenous scientific innovation. Candidates should also be prepared to analyze the institutional capacity of State Biodiversity Boards in managing revised access protocols.

• Conservation, environmental pollution, degradation GS3
• Government policies and interventions GS2

• CAA
• Data Protection Bill
• Farm Laws
• The Cinematograph (Amendment) Bill, 2021
• The Electricity (Amendment) Bill, 2022
• The Mediation Bill, 2021
• The Mines and Minerals (Development and Regulation) Amendment Bill, 2021
• The National Anti-Doping Bill, 2021