Intellectual Property, Trade, and Biodiversity Conservation

Olivier Rukundo (far right), Natural Justice associate.

Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) presented at a lunch-time side event organized by the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD) in cooperation with GTZ on Tuesday, October 19 at the the CBD COP10 in Nagoya. The side event was titled "Intellectual Property, Trade and Biodiversity Conservation: A South-South Exchange".

The side event sought to build on lessons learnt from African and Latin American initiatives on access and benefit sharing (ABS), intellectual property rights (IPRs), biodiversity, and sustainable use. The side event had different regional experts who highlighted domestic and regional experiences with implementing ABS legislation. Kabir spoke on the South African ABS legislation and challenges with its implementation, using the example of the recent Nestle Rooibos biopiracy challenge in which Natural Justice was involved. The side event was well-attended and was also an opportunity to present the recent publication by Natural Justice and the ABS Initiative for Africa on "Implementing a Traditional Knowledge Commons". The side event also launched a new GTZ publication on "Triggering Synergies between IPRs and Biodiversity", for which Natural Justice had also written a chapter. The Intellectual Property Watch also produced an article about the issues discussed in the side event, which can be read here.