Biodiversity Conservation in India Within The Purview of The Biological Diversity Act, 2002: A Critical Analysis

Abstract

Conservation of biological diversity, which is also called Bio-diversity, is a common concern of humankind as an integral part of the development process. It involves protection and sustainable use of various plants, species, and flora-fauna. There is an onerous obligation, which we owe to posterity, is clean air, clean water, greenery and open spaces. These ought to be elevated to the status of birthright of every citizen. India is a treasure trove of biodiversity. It has been identified as one of the 12 mega-centres of biological diversity in the world. Survey conducted by the botanical and zoological surveys of India have revealed that there are about 45000 species of plants and 81000 species of animals in this country covering 10 bio geographic zones and 25 biotic provinces. India incorporates an exceptional range of biodiversity, including the entire world’s major ecosystem. As one of the oldest and largest agricultural societies, India boasts an impressive variety of at least 166 species of crop plants and 320 species of wild relatives of cultivated crops. Its known fact that India is rich in biological diversity and associated traditional and contemporary knowledge system relating biodiversity. India contains a great wealth of biological diversity in its Forests, its wetlands and its marine areas. This richness is shown in absolute numbers of species and the proportion they represent of the world total. With the passage of time, the Protection of biodiversity in India is quite challenging as it is highly enriched with traditional and indigenous resources. The most challenging situation is of rights indigenous people living in a particular area, their respective right of benefit sharing, specific prior-informed consent. It is important to understand to introspect the obligation of local administration in protecting biodiversity and how so far they are successful in managing the proper commercial utilization of indigenous resources by providing proportionate monetary right to indigenous biological diversity people. The Biological Diversity Act, 2002 is a major legislative intervention in this context.