The Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change ("MoEFCC") has notified the Biological Diversity (Amendment) Rules, 2025 ("Amendment"), effective from 1st November 2025. The Amendment simplifies the procedure for obtaining a certificate of origin for cultivated medicinal plants under the Biological Diversity Act, 2002.
Key Highlights:
- The earlier rule required applicants to submit a self-declaration (physical or digital) to the Biodiversity Management Committee ("BMC") with detailed cultivation information such as area, species, and quantities; the new rule shifts this responsibility to the BMC, which will maintain the cultivation records in Form 11 on the web portal.
- Previously, the certificate of origin was to be issued within 15 days, with escalation routes defined through the State Biodiversity Board and the National Biodiversity Authority in case of disputes. The amended rule removes these timelines and escalation mechanisms and provides that the certificate will now be generated digitally via the portal in Form 12 based on records maintained by the BMC.
- The application process has been fully digitised, applicants must now apply in Form 11A through the designated web portal, replacing the earlier manual or hybrid method.
Source: Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change
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