Biodiversity has always played an important role in each and every life on the planet. It is what keeps ALL of us alive. For humans, biodiversity offers us opportunities to live strong and long lives. It provides several goods and services, such as all the nutrients we need; the medicines for healing; clean air; it supports the animals we eat, love and admire – and it even helps us smell good.
However, despite how crucial it is, protecting biodiversity has always been a challenge. This is where the Convention of Biological Diversity (CBD) comes in – an international commitment from countries to bolster and protect biodiversity for current and future generations.
One of the tools that the CBD has created is about benefit-sharing – which allows companies, researchers or other parties to use the knowledge of- and genetic resources of communities, and in exchange must share benefits with that community. In turn, the community will then continue to protect that resource.
Every species has unique traits. A simple example is lavender, which has a lovely smell. Extracts from lavender are used to make perfumes. Lavender also happens to have other properties: it is an anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antifungal, and wound-healing plant. Protecting it means that future generations can also access these benefits.
While lavender is far from being vulnerable to dying out, many other plant species are. In order to ensure their protection, benefits going to communities who conserve these species would make a huge difference in their efforts.
Biodiversity in negotiation
Every two years, the countries who are part of the CBD meet to discuss their conservation- and protection efforts and re-negotiate agreements, like their commitment to biodiversity use and protection. Last year, these countries gathered in Cali in Colombia to discuss a new aspect of a Benefit-sharing tool – Digital Sequence Information on Genetic Resources (DSI).
DSI is related to the information and data derived from the genetics of a species – be it plant, animal, microorganism etc. This information and data are, most of the time, digitally stored in databases, including in databases that can be publicly accessible. DSI and related information is valuable for scientists and companies. DSI is used for research (to understand a species and its behaviours), or for developing products like drugs, crops, etc for a commercial end.
Its connection to benefit-sharing is that anyone who uses DSI for economic or other types of gain, must pay for its use. At Cali in Colombia, it was agreed by countries that all these payments (or benefits) would be placed into a fund to be used for “biodiversity action”.
Some aspects of this agreed Fund needed to be ironed out, and so the Cali Fund was only launched this year. Why is the Fund important?
The importance of the Cali Fund for local and indigenous communities
Anyone can access the DSI in public databases, and those using its information must pay into the Cali Fund. The fund will then allow communities to access financial support for their nature conservation and local development actions, especially for those who need it most. In fact, fifty percent of the Fund must be provided to Indigenous peoples and local communities, recognizing their role as custodians of biodiversity. This is an endorsement of communities’ role of custodianship of lands, waters and resources.
The sectors that will be contributing to the Fund include: “pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, plant and animal breeding and agricultural biotechnology, industrial biotechnology, laboratory equipment associated with the sequencing and use of digital sequence information on genetic resources, and information, scientific and technical services related to digital sequence information on genetic resources, including artificial intelligence.”
What should we watch out for?
We have a long way to go before all the details of the DSI databases and Cali Fund are properly established, and people are provided with the means to access the Fund. Currently there are some challenges that need to be addressed.
Informed consent: The DSI database will contain information on genetic resources gathered by various sectors. Some of these genetic resources are directly linked to Indigenous and local communities who have rights over the traditional knowledge and biodiversity in question. Therefore, we must ensure that information is obtained and used only with the free, prior and informed consent of rights-holders.
Access to the database: By improving the traceability and due diligence, where possible, there is a need to understand where the database of DSI will be stored, and how checks and balances will be in place to ensure that those using the DSI explain how it will be used, for what purposes, and properly account for the profits they receive. What we wish to avoid is people accessing the data without due process.
Management of the Fund: It will be important that the Fund is used for the right purposes and is easily accessible to communities doing the work of species protection and conservation. We would like to see the inclusion of communities in the governance of the fund itself.
There are other concerns that have been raised by civil society and communities, showing that DSI and the Cali Fund are a complicated tool for communities. Educating ourselves about it, and looking out for more information on how to access the Fund, will be important for all communities. Ultimately, the success of the Cali Fund will rely on its impact on communities’ actions for biodiversity – that communities are supported in biodiversity custodianship and that the outcomes benefit both the communities and the environment.
With a proper governance and decision-making structure, and a Fund that works as it should, we will all continue to enjoy the many benefits of biodiversity – as will our children.
