---
title: "Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) in India | Model Diplomat"
description: "Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) under the Biological Diversity Act mandates users of India's biological resources to share benefits with local communities."
url: "https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/glossary/access-and-benefit-sharing"
---

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Model Diplomat Research Team · Last reviewed June 22, 2026

TL;DR

- Access and Benefit Sharing is the legal mechanism requiring users of India's biological resources and associated traditional knowledge to share resulting benefits with conservers and communities.
- Who must obtain prior approval from the National Biodiversity Authority before accessing Indian biological resources?
- How are ABS benefits calculated and where do they go?
- What did the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023 change?
- How does ABS relate to the Nagoya Protocol?

[Civil Service & Diplomatic Exams](https://modeldiplomat.com/learn/civil-services/glossary)Updated June 22, 2026

Access and Benefit Sharing is the legal mechanism requiring users of India's biological resources and associated traditional knowledge to share resulting benefits with conservers and communities.

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## Timeline

1. 5 February 2003

   In India the concept is rooted in the third objective of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), adopted at the Rio Earth Summit in 1992, which articul…

2. 12 October 2014

   India is also a Party to the Nagoya Protocol, the 2010 supplementary agreement on ABS that entered into force on and which the 2014 Regulations were designe…

3. 3 August 2023

   The framework has drawn sustained controversy, prompting the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Act, 2023, which received assent on .

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Example

In 2018, the Uttarakhand High Court in Divya Pharmacy v. Union of India upheld the State Biodiversity Board's authority to demand fair benefit sharing from an Indian company using local biological resources.

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