CEBPOL
CEBPOL refers to Centre for Biodiversity Policy and Law. The Ministry of Environment and Forests has decided to establish a Centre for Biodiversity Policy and Law (CEBPOL) in the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), Chennai, which is a statutory autonomous body of the Ministry responsible for implementing the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
- In this context, in November 2010, the Government of Norway has offered to provide technical and institutional collaboration for the CEBPOL.
- Norway is the first developed country to have recently enacted a national legislation on ABS.
The Norwegian partners for cooperation with NBA would be the Norwegian Directorate for Nature Management and Fridtj of Nansen Institute.
Objectives of CEBPOL:
- To develop professional expertise in the complex and still-evolving policy and legal issues relating to biodiversity, including on access and benefit sharing, inter alia through research, development and training
- To provide advice and expertise to the Government on these matters.
The setting up of this Centre is a very timely initiative taken by the Government, considering that the recently concluded Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity in Nagoya, Japan, has adopted a Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. As a mega-diverse country, and as a victim of bio-piracy, India has played an important role in ABS negotiations.
