Indian Forest Service (Retired) Current role: Chairperson, National Biodiversity Authority Opinions are personal. Retweets are not endorsements.
Joined October 2018
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Virendra Tiwari retweeted
❇️National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) disburses Rs 1.19 Crore to 29 State Biodiversity Boards and one UT Biodiversity Council under Access and Benefit Sharing Mechanism
❇️The allocations were determined in proportion to the estimated cultivation areas of the respective biological resources, based on official agricultural statistics published by the Ministry of Agriculture and Farmers Welfare through its Unified Portal for Agricultural Statistics.
Virendra Tiwari retweeted
A film on India's Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) youtu.be/xj7GSLWr3MY?si=QPv9… via @YouTube
Virendra Tiwari retweeted
The National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) celebrated its 23rd Foundation Day on 1 October 2026 at its headquarters in Chennai, marking 23 years of its journey in advancing biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of biological resources.
Hon’ble Shri Mukund Lal Srivastava, Administrative Member, Central Administrative Tribunal, Chennai Bench, graced the occasion as the Chief Guest. Shri Virendra R. Tiwari, IFS (Retd.), Chairperson, NBA, presided over the celebration, in the presence of Dr. B. Balaji, IFS, Member Secretary, NBA, officers and staff of the Authority.
Delivering the Presidential Address, Shri Virendra R. Tiwari highlighted NBA's significant achievements over the years and its contribution to strengthening biodiversity governance. He emphasised the need to build upon these achievements and continue collective efforts towards effective implementation of the biodiversity framework.
A special highlight of the celebration was the release of Biodiversity Matters – Vol. 1, Issue 3, the newsletter of NBA, by the Chief Guest in the presence of the Chairperson and Member Secretary. The newsletter showcases important initiatives, activities and developments relating to biodiversity and the work of the Authority.
Addressing the gathering, Hon’ble Shri Mukund Lal Srivastava underscored the importance of biodiversity and its conservation for present and future generations. He also elaborated on the significance of Access and Benefit Sharing, highlighting the importance of ensuring equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of biological resources.
The celebration provided an opportunity to reflect on NBA’s institutional journey, recognise its achievements and reaffirm the collective commitment towards conserving India’s rich biological diversity and ensuring its sustainable and equitable use.
#NationalBiodiversityAuthority #NBA #FoundationDay #Biodiversity #BiodiversityConservation #AccessAndBenefitSharing #ABS #BiodiversityMatters
Virendra Tiwari retweeted
Biodiversity Matters – Volume 1, Issue 3 Released!
We are pleased to share the latest issue of the NBA Newsletter, highlighting recent initiatives and developments in biodiversity conservation, sustainable use and Access and Benefit Sharing.
Together, let us share knowledge and strengthen biodiversity conservation.
nbaindia.nic.in/sites/defaul…
Virendra Tiwari retweeted
The National Workshop on “Digital Sequence Information and Synthetic Biology: India’s Priorities and Preparations for COP17”, organised by the National Biodiversity Authority (NBA) under the guidance of the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change, Government of India, commenced on 10 September 2026 at Radisson Blu, Hyderabad. The workshop brings together senior officials, experts, scientists, researchers and stakeholders to deliberate on emerging issues relating to DSI and Synthetic Biology under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD).
The Chief Guest Shri Ashutosh Agnihotri, Additional Secretary, MoEFCC, in his remarks emphasised the need to firm up India’s position on critical COP17 agenda items, with clear negotiating priorities based on national legislation, policies, scientific evidence, developmental priorities and international commitments. Smt. Uma Devi, Former Additional Secretary, MoEFCC, highlighted the growing importance of Digital Sequence Information in the evolving biodiversity and scientific landscape and the need for greater understanding of its implications.
Shri Virendra Tiwari, Chairperson, NBA, emphasised the need to develop a balanced national understanding of DSI, grounded in practical realities and informed by the perspectives of science, industry and biodiversity governance. He highlighted the importance of finding the right balance between facilitating legitimate scientific use and ensuring fair and equitable benefit-sharing, without creating unnecessary barriers to research and innovation. Dr. B. Balaji, Member Secretary, NBA, and Shri Tarun Kumar Kathula, Advisor, MoEFCC, were also present.
The inaugural session was followed by technical discussions on CBD COP17 and India’s priorities, covering the international DSI context, outcomes of SBI-7, DSI use in research and commercial applications, AI and bioinformatics, DSI-enabled products and services, and database transparency and open access.The workshop also facilitated detailed deliberations towards preparing and strengthening India’s position on Synthetic Biology under the CBD, including consideration of the draft CBD text and key issues for COP17.
#DigitalSequenceInformation #DSI #SyntheticBiology #COP17 #CBD #Biodiversity #BenefitSharing #NationalBiodiversityAuthority #MoEFCC #India
Virendra Tiwari retweeted
The Director General of Forests and Special Secretary to Government of India Shri. Sushil Kumar Awasthi, IFS inaugurated the training programme for the Biodiversity Samrakshan Internship Programme – Cycle – VI on September 21, 2026. The event was attended by senior IFS officers from the Integrated Regional Office, MoEFCC, Chennai.
Dr. B. Balaji, IFS, Member Secretary, NBA welcomed the officials and interns. Shri Virendra R Tiwari,IFS(Retd.) Chairperson, NBA addressed the interns. The guest of honour Shri Sushil Kumar Awasthi addressed the interns and interacted with them. The Chairperson, NBA also interacted with the interns.
The interns gave their experiences at their respective places of allotment and shared their experiences. The internship programme is September 21 – 26, 2026.
Virendra Tiwari retweeted
🌿 The State-Level Inception Workshop of the GoI-UNDP-GEF7 Biodiversity Project was held today at Coimbatore. NBA, MoEFCC, Tamil Nadu and Meghalaya Forest Departments and Biodiversity Boards, ICFRE-IFGTB, ICFRE-RFRI, and UNDP reviewed institutional arrangements and the Annual Work Plans, and mapped stakeholder roles. 🐅🌳🦋 A step towards stronger state-level delivery of India's biodiversity commitments. 🌏🍃
Virendra Tiwari retweeted
Kataria, Yadav push grassroots biodiversity drive timesofindia.indiatimes.com/… via @timesofindia
