The National Biodiversity Authority has disbursed 2.82 crore rupees under the Access and Benefit-Sharing mechanism arising from the utilisation of India’s biological resources.

The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change said that out of the disbursed amount, 2.80 crore rupees has been released to 27 State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) and 3 Union Territory Biodiversity Councils (UTBCs), while 2.01 lakh rupees is being released to the ICAR-Indian Institute of Horticultural Research, Karnataka.

The Ministry said that the funds released to the SBBs and UTBCs are to be utilised for activities including documentation and updation of People’s Biodiversity Registers, in-situ and ex-situ conservation, restoration of degraded ecosystems, strengthening of Biodiversity Heritage Sites and capacity building of Biodiversity Management Committees.