Banishing the biopirates: a new approach to protecting traditional knowledge.

Abstract

"This paper describes how indigenous and farmers??? organisations are calling for more holistic approaches to protecting their rights to TK, bio-genetic resources, territories, culture and customary laws. These components of indigenous knowledge systems and heritage cannot be separated. A new framework for protecting TK, known as collective bio-cultural heritage, addresses biodiversity and culture together, rather than separating them; recognises collective as opposed to individual rights; and places them in the framework of ???heritage??? as opposed to ???property???."