THE KHOIKHOI PEOPLES’ ROOIBOS BIOCULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOL

The Khoikhoi Peoples’ Rooibos Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP), published in 2019 by Natural Justice, serves as a formal framework to assert the Khoikhoi people's rights as traditional knowledge holders of Rooibos (Aspalathus linearis). It outlines the community's history of dispossession, their organizational structure for granting Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and the mechanisms for sharing benefits from the commercialization of Rooibos through a dedicated trust.

• The Khoikhoi and San peoples are the original traditional knowledge holders of Rooibos, a plant endemic to South Africa that forms the basis of a multi-million rand industry.
• A 2014 study commissioned by the South African government, titled "Traditional Knowledge Associated with Rooibos and Honeybush Species in South Africa," officially confirmed the Khoikhoi and San as the traditional knowledge holders of Rooibos.
• The Khoikhoi have faced over 300 years of systematic oppression, including land dispossession starting in 1652, genocide, slavery, and the forced classification as "Coloured" under Apartheid laws, which severed connections to their customary resources.
• The BCP establishes a process for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), requiring external stakeholders—including commercial bioprospectors and academic researchers—to consult the National Khoisan Council (NKC) before accessing traditional knowledge.
• An industry-wide benefit-sharing agreement concluded in 2019 includes a traditional knowledge levy, with the first payment scheduled for March 2020.
• The 'Khoikhoi Peoples Rooibos & Biodiversity Trust' was registered on September 27, 2019, to manage the distribution of benefits to Khoikhoi communities, including those in the Cederberg belt.
• Benefit-sharing for Rooibos is structured as a 50/50 split between the San and Khoikhoi communities, as per a Memorandum of Understanding.
• The Rooibos industry agreement involves a one-year pilot where communities receive 1.5 percent of the farm gate price from processors, estimated at R12 million per year.
• The Khoikhoi people are composed of four historical groupings: the Griqua, Nama, Koranna, and Cape Khoi.
• Indigenous farming communities in the Cederberg belt—specifically Wupperthal, Nieuwoudtville, and Suid Bokkeveld—are recognized as specific beneficiaries and stewards of the resource.
• The BCP proposes that Khoikhoi communities be entitled to co-ownership or royalties for any Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) derived from their traditional knowledge.

APA

Natural Justice (2019). THE KHOIKHOI PEOPLES’ ROOIBOS BIOCULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOL. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/NJ-Rooibos-BCP-Web.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. THE KHOIKHOI PEOPLES’ ROOIBOS BIOCULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOL. 2019. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/NJ-Rooibos-BCP-Web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=THE KHOIKHOI PEOPLES’ ROOIBOS BIOCULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOL |date=2019 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/NJ-Rooibos-BCP-Web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2019khoikhoi, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{THE KHOIKHOI PEOPLES’ ROOIBOS BIOCULTURAL COMMUNITY PROTOCOL}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2019}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/NJ-Rooibos-BCP-Web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }