India recently amended its Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (BD Act, 2002) by passing the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023 after two years of consideration.
India, being rich in biodiversity had introduced the BD Act, 2002, to fulfil its obligations under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. Its legislative intent was to ensure that the benefits derived from the use of Indian biological resources and associated traditional knowledge are shared in a fair and equitable manner among the indigenous and local communities.