Developing a Policy on Access and Benefit Sharing

sorting out the paperwork A number of networks and groups of botanic gardens have been working to develop harmonised approaches to implementing the access and benefit-sharing provisions of the CBD. Two voluntary approaches have been recently developed, the Principles on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit-Sharing (the Principles) and the International Plant Exchange Network (IPEN).

The Principles provide a framework to help guide gardens and herbaria when developing their own individual policies.
IPEN establishes an actual system of facilitated exchange for a network of gardens that have signed up to a Common Code of Conduct. The IPEN system only covers non-commercial use of living collections. It cannot currently be used for the exchange of herbarium or other preserved collections.

An institution can choose both to endorse the Principles (as they were designed to cover different kinds of collections, commercially- related research, and the exchange of material not covered by IPEN) and join the IPEN to be able to use its exchange mechanism for exchange of living material for non-commercial use only.

To find out about and share ideas of how you can approach issues like benefit–sharing, fieldwork collection, seed exchange and plant sales, see the practical case studies from gardens around the world. For additional information on this subject, see the resources section.

Find Out More

Intellectual Property Guidance
This online resource offers up-to-date information and strategies for utilizing the power of both intellectual property and the public domain. Emphasis is placed on advancing innovation in health and agriculture, though many of the principles outlined here are broadly applicable.

Explanatory Guide to the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
This Guide is the sixth in a series on the implementation of particular international instruments and concepts. Its objective is to promote greater understanding of the Treaty's text and possible implications – to explain the text and some of the scientific, technical and legal issues around it.

The Herbarium Handbook

This is a standard reference for all botanists, herbarium managers and technicians involved with the making and maintenance of herbarium collections. It's published by the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew.

Contact BGCI Jobs at Botanic Gardens Accessibility Translate This Page Media Centre Help Legal Notices Report Errors Send to Friend Print this Page