ABS PICTURE BOX COMMUNICATING ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS AFRICA

The ABS Picture Box is a communication tool developed by Natural Justice and the ABS Capacity Development Initiative to explain Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) to indigenous peoples and local communities across Africa. It uses a narrative-driven set of eight picture cards to simplify complex legal and technical concepts regarding genetic resources and traditional knowledge for audiences with low literacy levels or language barriers.

• The ABS Picture Box consists of eight instructional cards designed to guide communities through the process of managing biological resources and traditional knowledge. These cards cover biological resources, associated traditional knowledge, users, value chains, Prior Informed Consent (PIC), benefit-sharing types, ABS agreements, and the roles of different actors.
• To overcome literacy and language barriers in rural African contexts, the tool suggests replacing technical terminology with simpler language: 'Biodiversity, biological or genetic resources' becomes 'Living things', 'Prior Informed Consent' becomes 'Asking first', 'Access' becomes 'Take or collect', 'Benefit-sharing' becomes 'Giving something in return', and 'ABS contract/Mutually Agreed Terms' becomes 'A promise, a written agreement'.
• The tool utilizes a specific narrative to make ABS concepts accessible, focusing on a plant used as a tea to treat illness. The story follows a researcher who observes the community's use of the plant, requests permission to use the knowledge and resource, and subsequently establishes a benefit-sharing agreement.
• The document emphasizes that the role of indigenous peoples and local communities in the ABS process is governed by national regulatory frameworks. Depending on the country, communities may have full responsibility for granting Prior Informed Consent (PIC) and establishing Mutually Agreed Terms (MAT), may only be consulted, or may have no formal role at all.
• Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) are identified as essential tools developed by communities to communicate their customary rules, values, and procedures to external actors. BCPs help bridge the gap between local customary laws and national ABS frameworks, providing legal certainty for users regarding how to negotiate and ask for consent.
• Benefit-sharing is described as an exchange that can be monetary or non-monetary. Non-monetary benefits often include training and research results, while monetary benefits may involve a share of profits from commercial products, though these may take several years to materialize.

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). ABS PICTURE BOX COMMUNICATING ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS AFRICA. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Picture-Cards_MANUAL_EN_Web.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. ABS PICTURE BOX COMMUNICATING ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS AFRICA. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Picture-Cards_MANUAL_EN_Web.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=ABS PICTURE BOX COMMUNICATING ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS AFRICA |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Picture-Cards_MANUAL_EN_Web.pdf |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendabs, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{ABS PICTURE BOX COMMUNICATING ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TO COMMUNITIES ACROSS AFRICA}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/Picture-Cards_MANUAL_EN_Web.pdf}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }