Biocultural community protocols- a bridge to access and benefit sharing
Student name: Ms Vibhupriya Singh
Guide: Dr Mala Narang Reddy
Year of completion: 2014
Host Organisation: United Nations Development Program
Supervisor (Host Organisation): Dr Ruchi Pant
Abstract: Biopiracy and bioprospecting have been emerging as great threats to the biocultural heritage of the indigenous and
local communities. To address the same, the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) under the
auspices of the Convention on Biological Diversity represents a further milestone on the path towards the selfdetermination
of Indigenous peoples and local communities in international law and towards fair and equitable
benefit sharing arising from the utilization of the genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge by the
users, to the owners or custodians of such resources. The Biocultural community protocol have been conceived as
tool to achieve the above mentioned objectives of the CBD. The present study was carried out in the village Bastiya,
State of Uttarakhand, India, to study the interconnectedness of the Bastiya community with their natural resources
and traditional knowledge and the role of a biocultural community protocol in the implementation of ABS
framework in the village. The findings underscore the emergence of biocultural heritage as the rights of Indigenous
peoples and local communities over all aspects of their ways of life. The paper further discusses the relevance of
their way of life with respect to the diversity of their ecosystem management practices, customary laws governing
the ecosystem and associated spiritual beliefs. The study further elaborates on the strengths and weaknesses in the
current practices of formulation of BCPs and the role of three pillars viz the, resource, community and institutions
and governance in strengthening the framework of community protocols in the national context.
Keywords: Access and Benefit Sharing, Biocultural Heritage, Biocultural Community Protocols, Indigenous and
Local Communities, Genetic Resources, Traditional Knowledge
