“With a bare minimum 25% of patented medicinal products coming today from southern medicinal plants and the knowledge and practices of traditional healers, the urgency of the world’s demand for information preserved by indigenous peoples and local communities is imperiling their rights and livelihoods,” says Maria Fernanda Espinosa, who leads IUCN’s work on indigenous peoples.
The diversity of genetic resources allows crops, livestock and human beings to adapt to changing conditions. Every loss of even one species, variety or traditional remedy diminishes the available options for the future, not only of human uses, but also of the natural processes that are critical to continued life on this planet.
Despite the increasing need for biological resources, legal and institutional measures for promoting equitable sharing of benefits have not been forthcoming. Legal concepts, such as clear agreement on the ownership of genetic information and mechanisms of monitoring their use, remain unsettled.
Until recently, all plants, animals and micro-organisms were recognized only as part of the common heritage of humankind. The CBD clarified that this concept must work in tandem with the sovereign rights of the country in which these resources are located. This dichotomy, coupled with increased awareness of the value of biological and genetic resources, has led to controversies over their use and, in many cases, detriments rather than benefits for traditional communities. For instance, foreign prospectors sometimes used these resources and subsequently limited their access via patents or other intellectual property rights.
The diversity of genetic resources allows crops, livestock and human beings to adapt to changing conditions. Every loss of even one species, variety or traditional remedy diminishes the available options for the future, not only of human uses, but also of the natural processes that are critical to continued life on this planet.
Despite the increasing need for biological resources, legal and institutional measures for promoting equitable sharing of benefits have not been forthcoming. Legal concepts, such as clear agreement on the ownership of genetic information and mechanisms of monitoring their use, remain unsettled.
Until recently, all plants, animals and micro-organisms were recognized only as part of the common heritage of humankind. The CBD clarified that this concept must work in tandem with the sovereign rights of the country in which these resources are located. This dichotomy, coupled with increased awareness of the value of biological and genetic resources, has led to controversies over their use and, in many cases, detriments rather than benefits for traditional communities. For instance, foreign prospectors sometimes used these resources and subsequently limited their access via patents or other intellectual property rights.