Vishwapriya CN G, Devaiah2025-05-222025-05-222025-02-22https://gnanaganga.alliance.edu.in/handle/123456789/7970This study critically analyzes India's biodiversity management regime, with a specific focus on Karnataka state, in the context of national laws, policies, institutions, and India's commitments under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). As one of the world's mega-diverse countries, India harbors an estimated 8% of global biodiversity, including approximately 45,000 plant species and 91,000 animal species. However, this rich natural heritage faces severe threats from habitat loss, overexploitation, pollution, invasive species, and climate change. The rapid decline in biodiversity has far-reaching consequences for ecosystem services, livelihoods, and the well-being of local communities, particularly the indigenous peoples who have been the traditional stewards of these resources. The global recognition of the biodiversity crisis led to the adoption of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992, which aims to conserve biodiversity, ensure its sustainable use, and promote fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources. India, as a signatory to the CBD, is obligated to align its domestic policies and legal frameworks with these goals. However, the country's colonial legacy of exclusionary and centralized conservation approaches has often been at odds with the principles of participatory and community-based biodiversity management enshrined in the CBD. This study employs a mixed-methods approach, combining doctrinal analysis of legal instruments and policies with empirical stakeholder surveys to assess the effectiveness of biodiversity governance. The research methodology includes a comprehensive review of national and state-level biodiversity laws, policies, and institutions, as well as an evaluation of their alignment with CBD goals and global biodiversity targets. Additionally, the study conducts empirical research through questionnaire-based surveys and interviews with key stakeholders, including indigenous community members, legal professionals, NGOs, social workers, and environmentalists in Karnataka state.enBiodiversityManagementIndigenous peoplesInstitutional mechanismstext::thesis