Genetic resources

This primer was developed to increase the knowledge about biodiversity prospecting and its implications and was conceptualised after repeated requests from groups working in southern Africa on these difficult issues.

Part I looks at community issues and Part II looks at the broad framework of policy and legislation intended to advance farmers' and breeders' rights at both national and international level. The summary provides recommendations, as well as action plans and strategies for the implementation of the international instruments.

The commitment of the international community to ensure an equitable supply of food and nutrition to everyone on Earth has been reiterated many times. However, there are very few practical examples on how such equity and benefit sharing principles are to be put into practice. The proceedings of this workshop held in February 1998 relate experiences and lessons from a South-South perspective and critically address the translation of recommendations from this workshop into actions.

Biodiversity is increasingly regarded as a resource for rural development and organic agriculture as a production and marketing method that ensures a more productive future for our species and life-support systems. This publication contains the proceedings of a global gathering in May 1999 in Vignola (Italy) to discuss a declaration and action plan for linking together the organic agriculture and nature conservation movements.

Plant genetic resources are crucial for world agriculture, food security and the global economy. They are vital for the pharmaceutical industry and are important assests for developing countries rich in biodiversity. The patents and intellectual property rights (IPRs) associated with the development of new products are critical to trade in these resources.

The primary goal is to highlight some of the principles which should be considered by planners, legislative drafters and policy-makers as they work to develop legal frameworks on access to genetic resources in their countries. Contextual information on the Convention on Biological Diversity and examples of how countries have approached the issue to date are provided

For centuries, genetic resources not protected by Intellectual Property Rights were collected and used without any regulation. They were a free good available for everyone. Huge profits were made but never shared with the custodians of biological diversity. "Access to genetic resources" underscores the importance of informed national approaches to enforce access to genetic resources and benefit-sharing provisions of the Convention on biological diversity.