DSI adoption at COP15 can financially help protect biodiversity in India: Experts

Montreal, December 20

Digital Sequence Information (DSI) which was adopted as part of the historic deal to protect biodiversity at the COP15 conference here will ensure the flow of funds to countries like India for the conservation of nature, experts say.

Through the Nagoya Protocol, the UN Convention on Biological Diversity aims to distribute benefits arising from genetic resources between users who are corporate entities and providers who are indigenous communities and farmers conserving these resources in developing countries.

But now, with DSI technology, companies can use nucleotide sequences of genetic resources using genetic engineering, without needing to physically access resources from their country of origin.

At COP15, developing countries have maintained that benefits resulting from DSI should also be shared equitably.

According to Justin Mohan, Secretary, National Biodiversity Authority (NBA), DSI is now a part of the Post 2020 Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) under Target 13 and Goal C and could benefit developing countries from funds accruing from the products manufactured using DSI Technology.

“The parties had agreed upon a consensus to bring DSI into the access and benefit sharing (ABS) mechanism. The modalities of sharing these benefits would be taken up by a working group based on suggestions received from different countries and these recommendations are expected to be adopted at the next COP in Turkey,” Mohan told PTI.

A decision to constitute a Working Group has been agreed upon by the Parties.

A major expectation from COP15 of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) held between December 7-19 was a decision on DSI to financially support biodiversity conservation.