Madagascar is one of the world’s top megadiverse countries, both in terms of overall biodiversity and the number of endemic species. Adding to this the rich traditional knowledge of Malagasy communities. It is therefore no wonder that the country has been the target of sustained bioprospecting activities over the last decades. So far, unfortunately, the benefits derived from these activities have largely been realised outside of the country and not been shared with local stakeholders.
Madagascar is about to enact a Decree on Access and Benefit Sharing, which will implement the Nagoya Protocol and regulate access to the country’s genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge of local communities.
Our work in Madagascar aims to:
- Improve the fulfillment of the rights of local communities to their resources and traditional knowledge, in the implementation of ABS and other frameworks.
- Support several pilots of community protocols in the ABS context, with partners including GIZ and Bioversity.
- Advise the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol and the FAO Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources, through a partnership with the national focal points for each treaty.
