Monthly Archives: August 2016

Canada’s environmental policies must respect Aboriginal traditional knowledge

Canada’s environmental policies must respect Aboriginal traditional knowledge
The Government of Canada has launched a review of the federal environmental and regulatory processes. As part of this strategy, The Minister of Environment and Climate Change, Catherine McKenna has created a four-member expert panel to undertake the review. Consultations will be held across Canada beginning in September 2016, allowing the panel members to take…
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Expanding the Debate: A Licensing Scheme for Traditional Knowledge?

Expanding the Debate: A Licensing Scheme for Traditional Knowledge?
Traditional knowledge (TK) often helps researchers to locate, understand, and usefully apply genetic resources extracted from plants and animals. In some cases, TK provides the basis for cartographic insights and data on a wide range of otherwise inaccessible information. However, one of the sources of disquiet about TK is the perception that it is sometimes…
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Ecuador’s strategy for tackling biopiracy

Ecuador’s strategy for tackling biopiracy
A new report published by the Ecuador government identifies countries that have biopirated Ecuador’s genetic resources. A majority of the identified countries are developed countries. United States, Australia, Germany, Netherlands and South Korea were identified as the top five countries that have applied for the highest number of patents by illegally using genetic resources derived from…
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