🦋 Chapter 02 · Topic 06 · CBD & Revision

CBD, Nagoya Protocol & Complete Revision

Convention on Biological Diversity, Nagoya & Cartagena Protocols, Biological Diversity Act 2002, Aichi Targets, Kunming-Montreal Framework — complete Chapter 02 revision.

Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is a landmark international treaty that emerged from the Earth Summit (UNCED) held in Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It entered into force on 29 December 1993.

🌿 Three Objectives of CBD:
1. Conservation of biological diversity
2. Sustainable use of the components of biological diversity
3. Fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilisation of genetic resources (Access and Benefit Sharing — ABS)

Secretariat: Montreal, Canada
Parties: 196 countries (USA is a signatory but has not ratified)
India ratified: 1994
COP (Conference of Parties): Meets every 2 years; key decisions on biodiversity targets
CBD recognises sovereign rights of nations over their biological resources
Promotes Prior Informed Consent (PIC) before accessing genetic resources

⚡ Exam Fact: CBD Secretariat is in Montreal, Canada — not Geneva or Nairobi. The USA signed but never ratified CBD. India ratified in 1994.

Nagoya Protocol (2010)

Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing

Adopted: 2010 at COP-10, Nagoya, Japan; entered into force 2014
Full name: Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization
Purpose: Implements the ABS objective of CBD; prevents biopiracy
Key mechanism: Requires Prior Informed Consent (PIC) from the country of origin before accessing genetic resources
Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT): Benefits must be shared on mutually agreed terms
India ratified: 2012
Biopiracy examples prevented: Neem, turmeric, Basmati rice — India fought against patents on these traditional resources

🌿 What is Biopiracy? Biopiracy refers to the unauthorised commercial use of biological resources or traditional knowledge from a country without fair compensation or acknowledgment. The Nagoya Protocol is the primary international instrument to combat biopiracy.

Cartagena Protocol (2000)

Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety

Adopted: 2000 in Montreal (named after Cartagena, Colombia where negotiations began); entered into force 2003
Purpose: Regulates the safe transfer, handling, and use of Living Modified Organisms (LMOs) / Genetically Modified Organisms (GMOs)
Key principle: Precautionary Principle — lack of scientific certainty should not prevent action to protect biodiversity
Advance Informed Agreement (AIA): Required before first transboundary movement of LMOs intended for release into environment
Biosafety Clearing-House (BCH): Information exchange mechanism under the protocol
India ratified: 2003

Biological Diversity Act, 2002

India enacted the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 to give effect to the CBD. It establishes a three-tier institutional structure:

Institution	Level	Location	Function
National Biodiversity Authority (NBA)	National	Chennai, Tamil Nadu	Regulates access to biological resources; approves requests from foreigners/foreign companies; prevents biopiracy
State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs)	State	State capitals	Regulate access by Indian citizens; advise state governments on biodiversity conservation
Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs)	Local	Every local body (Panchayat/Municipality)	Prepare People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs); conserve local biodiversity

⚡ Key Facts:
• NBA headquarters: Chennai (not Delhi or Hyderabad)
• People’s Biodiversity Registers (PBRs): Prepared by BMCs; document local biodiversity and traditional knowledge
• Biological Diversity Act 2002 was amended in 2023 to ease access for Indian researchers and AYUSH practitioners

Aichi Biodiversity Targets (2010–2020)

Adopted at COP-10 in Nagoya, Japan (2010), the Aichi Targets were a set of 20 targets under the Strategic Plan for Biodiversity 2011–2020:

Organised under 5 Strategic Goals (A to E)
Target 11: Protect at least 17% of terrestrial and 10% of marine areas by 2020
Target 12: Prevent extinction of known threatened species
Target 19: Improve knowledge and science base for biodiversity
Outcome: Most Aichi Targets were largely unmet by 2020 — only 6 of 20 targets partially achieved
This failure led to the development of the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework

Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (2022)

Adopted at COP-15 in Montreal, Canada (December 2022), this framework replaces the Aichi Targets and sets the global biodiversity agenda for 2030 and 2050:

Vision: “Living in harmony with nature” by 2050
30×30 Target (Target 3): Protect at least 30% of terrestrial, inland water, coastal, and marine areas by 2030
30×30 for degraded ecosystems: Restore at least 30% of degraded ecosystems by 2030
Reduce harmful subsidies by at least USD 500 billion per year by 2030
Mobilise USD 200 billion per year for biodiversity by 2030
Includes provisions for Digital Sequence Information (DSI) benefit sharing
India is a signatory and committed to the 30×30 target

🌿 Protocols at a Glance:
• CBD (1992): Conservation + Sustainable use + ABS — 3 objectives
• Cartagena (2000): GMOs/LMOs safety — Precautionary Principle + AIA
• Nagoya (2010): ABS implementation — PIC + MAT — prevents biopiracy
• Aichi Targets (2010–2020): 20 targets — largely unmet
• Kunming-Montreal (2022): 30×30 target — current framework

Complete Chapter 02 Revision Checklist

🎯 TOPIC 01 — Types of Biodiversity
✅ Biodiversity coined: Walter G. Rosen (1985); popularised by E.O. Wilson
✅ Three types: Genetic, Species, Ecosystem
✅ Alpha (within habitat) → Beta (between habitats) → Gamma (landscape total)
✅ India: 17 megadiverse; 7–8% world species; 2.4% land; 45,000 plants; 91,000 animals

🎯 TOPIC 02 — Biodiversity Hotspots
✅ Norman Myers (1988); criteria: ≥1500 endemic plants + ≥70% habitat lost
✅ 36 hotspots globally; India has 4
✅ Western Ghats & Sri Lanka: Lion-tailed macaque, Nilgiri tahr, Purple frog
✅ Himalayas: Snow leopard, Red panda; Indo-Burma: Freshwater biodiversity
✅ Sundaland: Nicobar Islands (NOT Andaman); Nicobar megapode

🎯 TOPIC 03 — Endemic & Threatened Species
✅ IUCN: EX → EW → CR → EN → VU → NT → LC → DD
✅ CR: Great Indian Bustard, Gharial, Hangul, Pygmy Hog
✅ EN: Bengal tiger, Asiatic lion (Gir), Indian elephant, Snow leopard
✅ National Aquatic Animal = Ganges River Dolphin (EN)

🎯 TOPIC 04 — Threats to Biodiversity
✅ HIPPO: Habitat loss (most important) → Invasive → Pollution → Population → Overexploitation
✅ Invasive: Lantana camara, Water hyacinth, Parthenium
✅ Sixth Mass Extinction = Holocene; 1,000× background rate; ~1 million species threatened

🎯 TOPIC 05 — Conservation
✅ In-situ: NPs (106), WLSs (567), BRs (18; 12 UNESCO), Ramsar (75+), Sacred groves
✅ Nilgiri = first Biosphere Reserve (1986)
✅ Ex-situ: Zoos, botanical gardens, seed banks, gene banks, cryopreservation
✅ NBPGR, New Delhi = National Gene Bank; 4+ lakh accessions

🎯 TOPIC 06 — CBD & Protocols
✅ CBD 1992: 3 objectives; Secretariat Montreal; India ratified 1994
✅ Nagoya Protocol 2010: ABS; PIC; prevents biopiracy; India ratified 2012
✅ Cartagena Protocol 2000: GMOs/LMOs; Precautionary Principle; AIA
✅ Biological Diversity Act 2002: NBA (Chennai) → SBBs → BMCs (PBRs)
✅ Aichi Targets 2010–2020: 20 targets; largely unmet
✅ Kunming-Montreal 2022: 30×30 target; protect 30% land + ocean by 2030

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