A book titled Evolution of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Jurisprudence in India – Emerging Trends, Challenges and the Way Forward, was released here on Wednesday at an event held at the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai.
K. Ramakrishnan, Judge, Southern Zone, Chennai, National Green Tribunal, who released the book, appreciated the efforts of the authority in bringing out the book, which speaks about the importance of benefit sharing between users and providers of biological resources. He highlighted the importance of ABS in respect to protection of biological resources and traditional knowledge so that the communities that have preserved this knowledge for many centuries benefit. He called upon law students to take up the study and interpretation of the Biological Diversity Act so that people in rural areas can benefit.
The first copy of the book, which was jointly authored by S. Elumalai, Professor, School of Excellence, Tamil Nadu Dr. Ambedkar Law University, Chennai, and J. Justin Mohan, Secretary, NBA, was received by S. Sasikumar, Deputy Inspector of General of Forests, Ministry of Environment Forests and Climate Change, Chennai. The foreword for the book has been provided by Supreme Court Judge V. Ramasubramanian.
According to Mr. Justin Mohan the book was a free edition published by the NBA and it traces the evolution of sharing of benefits to forest dwelling tribal communities and farmers in India under different laws and the importance of benefit sharing by companies to conserve our biological resources that have commercial value. The book also covered several successful benefit sharing experiments in different parts of the world and landmark Judgments delivered in India on issues pertaining to benefit sharing.
