Biodiversity
What is biodiversity?

For most of the few million years that human life has existed on earth, we have managed to live with a balanced reliance on plants, trees and other natural biological resources of the planet. Mankind had been able to utilize the diversity of nature without threatening the continuance of any species. Within the last century, however, that balance has been disturbed. By our unrestricted use of the world's biological resources, we are causing a continual loss of living species. It is estimated that globally, the rate of extinction is one species per day. We are losing biodiversity.

The issue of human impact on biodiversity is not merely an academic environmental question. We rely on a rich source of natural biological products for a variety of aspects of our life. They provide food, medicines, cosmetics; they are used in areas such as soil productivity, waste degradation and pest control. The answer to the loss of biodiversity is not to stop using the products of nature. Instead, we need to use them in a sustainable way. There needs to be a greater recognition of the wealth – both ecologically and financially – that natural resources provide. Releasing that wealth will provide the encouragement to ensure sustainable uses of the resources. 
THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY 
Biodiversity was part of the agenda of the United Nations Conference on Environment and Development (UNCED), the so-called Earth Summit, held in Rio de Janeiro in June 1992. One of the outcomes from the conference was an international agreement, the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), the first treaty to deal with ownership of genetic resources. The agreement has been ratified by over 160 countries.
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The three objectives of the CBD are:
  1. The conservation of biological diversity
  2. The sustainable use of its components; and
  3. The fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising out of the utilization of genetic resources.​
THE 
NAGOYA PROTOCOL
The Nagoya Protocol is a supplementary agreement to the CBD. It entered into force in October 2014 and represents a legal framework for the benefit-sharing aspects of the Convention, in respect of both genetic resources and traditional knowledge.
 
Nagoya therefore complements the CBD by providing a set of guidelines for its implementation. Publicity about the Nagoya protocol has re-invigorated awareness of the important issues surrounding the use of genetic resources.
INDIGENA BIODIVERSITY makes a contribution to the implementation of the objectives of the CBD, by bringing together a partnership with biodiversity-rich countries and a positive business perspective to create commercial opportunities.
WHAT ARE GENETIC RESOURCES ?

The CBD defines 'genetic material' as any material of plant, animal, microbial or other origin containing functional units of heredity. The term 'genetic resources' is defined as any genetic material of actual or potential value.
Many types of genetic resources have been found to have commercially valuable properties. The most prevalent sources of products, for a variety of industries, are plant materials. But many other organisms have also been used successfully, such as bacteria from soil, fungi, and marine species such as corals, sea mosses and marine algae.

USES OF GENETIC RESOURCES

The industries in which genetic resources are used are diverse. Examples include pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, dietary supplements and nutrients, sugar substitutes, personal care including cosmetics, skin care, hair products, oral hygiene and fragrances, crop protection, pest repellents, waste-treatments, biofuels and chemical cleaning.
OWNERSHIP OF GENETIC RESOURCES

Genetic resources  represent property of stakeholders in the country in which they exist in the natural habitat. The CBD and Nagoya Protocol recognize that ownership by establishing a right to access genetic resources, and requiring benefit deriving from their use to be shared with the country of origin.
INDIGENA BIODIVERSITY increases the intrinsic value of genetic resources, wherever appropriate, by means of intellectual property. Then we help to release that value by facilitating access, research, development, commercialisation and supply. And we ensure the benefits from the use of genetic resources are shared with the country of origin. 

TRADITIONAL KNOWLEDGE

In the context of biodiversity, Traditional Knowledge (TK) is the knowledge and information which is built up within indigenous communities with respect to local genetic resources. INDIGENA recognizes that TK is part of the cultural and spiritual framework of communities. Our approach is always to respect the rights of indigenous peoples to their traditional knowledge, and to be aware of local customary law. Indigenous communities must approve the use of their traditional knowledge and be involved in how it is used. If profiting from external uses of some TK, for example sacred works, is inconsistent with local traditions, then we would not pursue that piece of TK.

​Traditional knowledge can be the sole basis for a commercial application of genetic material, or it can provide a shortcut in the search for commercial uses of that material, even if the knowledge is not specific to the final commercial product, or the information is in the public domain.

The provisions of the CBD extend to traditional knowledge. I NDIGENA believes that legal agreements to authorize commercialization provide the most effective mechanism to protect traditional knowledge, secure its value, and maximize benefits for indigenous peoples. A legal agreement merely enshrines the ownership rights of a community over its traditional knowledge in an enforceable instrument.

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