Conseils pratiques pour faciliter l'élaboration de protocoles communautaires liés à l'APA

This briefing provides notes from a three-part webinar series organized by Natural Justice in October 2020. The sessions focused on the development, application, and legal recognition of community protocols within the framework of Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS), emphasizing community-led processes to protect traditional knowledge and biological resources.

• Community protocols should be tailored to the specific context and situation of the community rather than following a 'standard' model. The process must be community-led from the start, although guidelines can be provided to facilitators to ensure guiding principles are followed.
• The duration of the protocol development process is influenced by the community's existing organizational structure, the number of people involved, the geographic size of the area, and the number of objectives the community aims to achieve. Establishing priorities early can accelerate the process.
• Community protocols can adopt a holistic approach, covering not only genetic and biological resources but also other assets such as water, mines, and community lands. In some cases, they can be combined with existing local conventions that already define social or environmental rules.
• In South Africa, community protocols have been used to facilitate industry access to resources by identifying the correct parties for negotiations and obtaining prior informed consent. Examples include the Rooibos protocol, which coordinated 40 different communities, and the use of protocols for the Buchu plant.
• For resources shared across different communities or borders, a common system or a single protocol may be necessary. In Cameroon, communities with different cultures and values agreed on a single protocol to meet shared ABS objectives. For transboundary protocols, it is recommended to first consolidate national interests before building regional tools.
• The integration of biodiversity conservation into protocols varies: in Madagascar (Mariarano), they serve to reaffirm biodiversity values, while in Kenya (Endorois), they integrate conservation rules and resource use principles combined with land-use plans.
• Effective implementation of community protocols requires government support, including the integration of support costs into national budgets and the creation of legal frameworks for recognition. In South Africa, the Department of Environment, Forestry and Fisheries (DEFF) and the Department of Science and Innovation provide funding and support.

APA

Natural Justice (2020). Conseils pratiques pour faciliter l'élaboration de protocoles communautaires liés à l'APA. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Note_webinars-sur-protocoles-communautaires-FR.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. Conseils pratiques pour faciliter l'élaboration de protocoles communautaires liés à l'APA. 2020. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Note_webinars-sur-protocoles-communautaires-FR.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=Conseils pratiques pour faciliter l'élaboration de protocoles communautaires liés à l'APA |date=7 October 2020 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Note_webinars-sur-protocoles-communautaires-FR.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2020conseils, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{Conseils pratiques pour faciliter l'élaboration de protocoles communautaires liés à l'APA}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2020}, month = oct, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/Note_webinars-sur-protocoles-communautaires-FR.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }