India is rich in biological diversity and associated traditional as well as contemporary knowledge system relating thereto. Till today India has taken a number of policy initiatives and legal measures towards conservation of nature, natural resources, and biodiversity. India is one of the 12 mega biodiversity countries of the world and one among the 194 signatories to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in Earth Summit at Rio de Janeiro in 1992. It is considered necessary to provide for conservation, sustainable utilization and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of utilization of genetic resources and also to give effect to the said convention. Among the several acts prevailing in the country, the Biological Diversity Act, 2002 (BD Act) is crucial one. It was born out of India's attempt to realize the objectives enshrined in the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) 1992. The BD Act provides provisions for regulated access to biological resources by bonafide end-users for various purposes including scientific research, commercial activities and sustainable use of non-timber forest produce. The Act is implemented through the mechanism of three functional bodies viz., National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) at the national level, State Biodiversity Boards (SBBs) in different states, and Biodiversity Management Committees (BMCs) at the level of local community (Panchayat). The BD Act mainly insists upon appropriate benefit sharing under mutually agreed terms related to access and transfer of biological resources or knowledge occurring in or obtained from India for various purposes. This conceptual research paper/article highlights India's rich biodiversity, focuses on the Indian initiatives for conservation of biodiversity, and summarizes the legal aspects with respect to BD Act.

Biodiversity of India, Biological Diversity Act, Convention on Biological Diversity, Conservation of Biodiversity