New Delhi, Nov 27 – Aiming to strengthen local livelihoods and guarantee fair benefit sharing, the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) announced that it has disbursed ₹5.34 crore to about 85 Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) in Maharashtra, according to an official statement released Thursday.
The committees, spread across the Wada Tehsil in Palghar District and falling under various Nagar and Gram Panchayats as well as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, will receive the money via the Maharashtra State Biodiversity Board.
This payout follows a recent case in which a firm extracted soil bacteria of the Bacillus genus and used them to create probiotic products, an event highlighted by the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change.
Significantly, around 15 percent of all Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) applications involve microorganisms, underscoring that “micro” organisms can bring “macro” benefits to farmers, local communities, BMCs and other stakeholders.
The initiative reaffirms the NBA’s pledge that the true stewards of biodiversity—local peoples—receive proper recognition and equitable rewards. By doing so, the NBA furthers India’s goal of a sustainable, inclusive approach to biodiversity management where conservation efforts directly uplift community prosperity and well‑being, the statement added.
Previously, the NBA had already allocated more than ₹2.56 crore to 108 BMCs and seven institutions in the state. The current ₹5.34 crore boost marks a substantial step forward, pushing India’s total ABS disbursements past an impressive ₹116 crore.
India remains a global leader in the effective implementation of the ABS framework.
Earlier this month, the NBA released ₹38.36 crore to the Andhra Pradesh Forest Department and ₹1.48 crore to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board for the protection and conservation of the world‑renowned Red Sandalwood. The allocation aims to enhance biodiversity conservation efforts, bringing the country’s total ABS disbursements over ₹110 crore, according to the statement.
Red Sandalwood, famed for its deep‑red timber, occurs naturally only in select pockets of the Eastern Ghats—particularly the Anantapur, Chittoor, Kadapa, Prakasam, and Kurnool districts of Andhra Pradesh.
The state’s Forest Department generated ₹87.68 crore through regulated access to auctioned or seized Red Sandalwood, which was earmarked as a benefit‑sharing sum.
To date, the NBA has disbursed more than ₹49 crore to the forest departments of Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Odisha, and to the Andhra Pradesh State Biodiversity Board for Red Sandalwood conservation, research, and protection, the official released.
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