diff --git a/registry-integration-tests/src/test/java/org/gbif/registry/ws/it/collections/service/descriptors/DescriptorsServiceIT.java b/registry-integration-tests/src/test/java/org/gbif/registry/ws/it/collections/service/descriptors/DescriptorsServiceIT.java
index 179311692..5279e08ab 100644
--- a/registry-integration-tests/src/test/java/org/gbif/registry/ws/it/collections/service/descriptors/DescriptorsServiceIT.java
+++ b/registry-integration-tests/src/test/java/org/gbif/registry/ws/it/collections/service/descriptors/DescriptorsServiceIT.java
@@ -18,13 +18,18 @@
 import java.util.*;
 import lombok.SneakyThrows;
 import org.gbif.api.model.collections.Collection;
+import org.gbif.api.model.collections.MasterSourceMetadata;
 import org.gbif.api.model.collections.descriptors.Descriptor;
+import org.gbif.api.model.collections.descriptors.DescriptorGroup;
 import org.gbif.api.model.collections.request.DescriptorGroupSearchRequest;
 import org.gbif.api.model.collections.request.DescriptorSearchRequest;
 import org.gbif.api.model.common.export.ExportFormat;
 import org.gbif.api.model.common.paging.PagingResponse;
+import org.gbif.api.model.registry.MachineTag;
 import org.gbif.api.service.collections.CollectionService;
 import org.gbif.api.service.collections.DescriptorsService;
+import org.gbif.api.util.GrSciCollUtils;
+import org.gbif.api.vocabulary.collections.Source;
 import org.gbif.registry.database.TestCaseDatabaseInitializer;
 import org.gbif.registry.test.mocks.NubResourceClientMock;
 import org.gbif.registry.ws.it.collections.service.BaseServiceIT;
@@ -142,4 +147,62 @@ public void descriptorsTest() {
                 collection.getKey(), DescriptorGroupSearchRequest.builder().build())
             .getCount());
   }
+
+  @Test
+  @SneakyThrows
+  public void ihDescriptorsTest() {
+    Collection collection = new Collection();
+    collection.setCode("c1");
+    collection.setName("n1");
+    collectionService.create(collection);
+
+    collectionService.addMasterSourceMetadata(
+        collection.getKey(), new MasterSourceMetadata(Source.IH_IRN, "dsfgds"));
+
+    String title = "My descriptor set";
+    String description = "description";
+
+    Resource descriptorsFile = new ClassPathResource("collections/descriptors.csv");
+    long descriptorGroupKey =
+        descriptorsService.createDescriptorGroup(
+            StreamUtils.copyToByteArray(descriptorsFile.getInputStream()),
+            ExportFormat.TSV,
+            title,
+            description,
+            collection.getKey());
+    assertTrue(descriptorGroupKey > 0);
+
+    assertEquals(
+        1,
+        descriptorsService
+            .listDescriptorGroups(
+                collection.getKey(), DescriptorGroupSearchRequest.builder().build())
+            .getResults()
+            .size());
+
+    PagingResponse<Descriptor> descriptors =
+        descriptorsService.listDescriptors(DescriptorSearchRequest.builder().build());
+    assertEquals(5, descriptors.getResults().size());
+
+    collectionService.addMachineTag(
+        collection.getKey(),
+        new MachineTag(
+            GrSciCollUtils.IH_NS,
+            GrSciCollUtils.COLL_SUMMARY_MT,
+            String.valueOf(descriptorGroupKey)));
+
+    descriptorsService.updateDescriptorGroup(
+        descriptorGroupKey,
+        StreamUtils.copyToByteArray(descriptorsFile.getInputStream()),
+        ExportFormat.TSV,
+        "foo",
+        "foo");
+
+    DescriptorGroup updated = descriptorsService.getDescriptorGroup(descriptorGroupKey);
+    assertEquals(title, updated.getTitle());
+    assertEquals(description, updated.getDescription());
+
+    descriptorsService.deleteDescriptorGroup(descriptorGroupKey);
+    assertNull(descriptorsService.getDescriptorGroup(descriptorGroupKey).getDeleted());
+  }
 }
diff --git a/registry-service/src/main/java/org/gbif/registry/service/collections/descriptors/DefaultDescriptorService.java b/registry-service/src/main/java/org/gbif/registry/service/collections/descriptors/DefaultDescriptorService.java
index 4606e9108..d9c1e2175 100644
--- a/registry-service/src/main/java/org/gbif/registry/service/collections/descriptors/DefaultDescriptorService.java
+++ b/registry-service/src/main/java/org/gbif/registry/service/collections/descriptors/DefaultDescriptorService.java
@@ -1,5 +1,6 @@
 package org.gbif.registry.service.collections.descriptors;
 
+import static org.gbif.api.util.GrSciCollUtils.*;
 import static org.gbif.registry.service.collections.utils.ParamUtils.parseIntegerRangeParameter;
 
 import com.google.common.base.CharMatcher;
@@ -28,8 +29,10 @@
 import org.gbif.api.model.common.paging.Pageable;
 import org.gbif.api.model.common.paging.PagingRequest;
 import org.gbif.api.model.common.paging.PagingResponse;
+import org.gbif.api.service.collections.CollectionService;
 import org.gbif.api.service.collections.DescriptorsService;
 import org.gbif.api.vocabulary.Country;
+import org.gbif.api.vocabulary.collections.MasterSourceType;
 import org.gbif.checklistbank.ws.client.NubResourceClient;
 import org.gbif.dwc.terms.DwcTerm;
 import org.gbif.registry.events.EventManager;
@@ -55,15 +58,18 @@ public class DefaultDescriptorService implements DescriptorsService {
   private final NubResourceClient nubResourceClient;
   private final DescriptorsMapper descriptorsMapper;
   private final EventManager eventManager;
+  private final CollectionService collectionService;
 
   @Autowired
   public DefaultDescriptorService(
       NubResourceClient nubResourceClient,
       DescriptorsMapper descriptorsMapper,
-      EventManager eventManager) {
+      EventManager eventManager,
+      CollectionService collectionService) {
     this.nubResourceClient = nubResourceClient;
     this.descriptorsMapper = descriptorsMapper;
     this.eventManager = eventManager;
+    this.collectionService = collectionService;
   }
 
   @SneakyThrows
@@ -222,6 +228,12 @@ public void deleteDescriptorGroup(@NotNull long key) {
     DescriptorGroup descriptorGroup = descriptorsMapper.getDescriptorGroup(key);
     Preconditions.checkArgument(
         descriptorGroup != null, "Descriptor group not found for key " + key);
+
+    if (isIHDescriptorGroup(key, descriptorGroup.getCollectionKey())) {
+      // can't delete a descriptor group that comes from IH
+      return;
+    }
+
     descriptorsMapper.deleteDescriptorGroup(key);
 
     eventManager.post(
@@ -255,6 +267,12 @@ public void updateDescriptorGroup(
     final String username = authentication.getName();
 
     DescriptorGroup descriptorGroup = descriptorsMapper.getDescriptorGroup(descriptorGroupKey);
+
+    if (isIHDescriptorGroup(descriptorGroupKey, descriptorGroup.getCollectionKey())) {
+      // can't update a descriptor group that comes from IH
+      return;
+    }
+
     descriptorGroup.setTitle(title);
     descriptorGroup.setDescription(description);
     descriptorGroup.setModifiedBy(username);
@@ -267,12 +285,29 @@ public void updateDescriptorGroup(
     importDescriptorsFile(descriptorGroupFile, format, descriptorGroup.getKey());
 
     eventManager.post(
-      SubEntityCollectionEvent.newInstance(
-        descriptorGroup.getCollectionKey(),
-        Collection.class,
-        DescriptorGroup.class,
-        descriptorGroupKey,
-        EventType.UPDATE));
+        SubEntityCollectionEvent.newInstance(
+            descriptorGroup.getCollectionKey(),
+            Collection.class,
+            DescriptorGroup.class,
+            descriptorGroupKey,
+            EventType.UPDATE));
+  }
+
+  private boolean isIHDescriptorGroup(long descriptorGroupKey, UUID collectionKey) {
+    Collection collection = collectionService.get(collectionKey);
+    List<Long> ihDescriptorGroups =
+        collection.getMachineTags().stream()
+            .filter(
+                mt ->
+                    mt.getNamespace().equals(IH_NS)
+                        && (mt.getName().equals(COLL_SUMMARY_MT)
+                            || mt.getName().equals(COLLECTORS_MT))
+                        && mt.getValue() != null)
+            .map(mt -> Long.parseLong(mt.getValue()))
+            .collect(Collectors.toList());
+
+    return collection.getMasterSource().equals(MasterSourceType.IH)
+        && ihDescriptorGroups.contains(descriptorGroupKey);
   }
 
   @Override