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AAAS Project on Traditional Ecological Knowledge
Traditional Knowledge at Risk
The exploitation of traditional knowledge exists on several levels (national,
regional, international) and involves intellectual property rights, an
increasingly consolidated and powerful "life sciences" industry, and
conflicting global agreements. Bioprospecting, or the search for useful compounds
in biological materials, has been a growing phenomenon with serious implications
for the protection of indigenous knowledge and natural resources. There is currently
great interest within communities in the developing world in asserting more
control over conservation, equitable benefit-sharing, and capacity-building
programs, as well as maintaining habitats, diverse seed stocks, etc. This would
require, among other things, defining ownership of the resources, establishing
prior knowledge of uses, and determining equity for each stakeholder. These
are vital concerns of the indigenous communities that use and manage these resources.
Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights
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