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

The ABS Picture Box is an interactive communication tool designed for use in rural African contexts with low literacy levels to explain the complexities of Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS). Developed by the ABS Capacity Development Initiative and Natural Justice, the tool uses a narrative approach across eight picture cards to guide communities through the value of biological resources, the role of traditional knowledge, the process of Prior Informed Consent (PIC), and the negotiation of benefit-sharing agreements. The guide provides facilitators with specific objectives, discussion questions, and simplified terminology to bridge the gap between technical legal frameworks—such as the Nagoya Protocol and the Convention on Biological Diversity—and local customary practices.

• The ABS Picture Box is specifically designed to overcome communication barriers in remote African areas characterized by low literacy levels and language differences, aiming to enable indigenous peoples and local communities to play a meaningful role in ABS implementation.
• The tool utilizes a narrative centered on a medicinal plant and its use as a tea to illustrate the ABS process, moving from the identification of biological resources and traditional knowledge to the interaction with external users and the eventual signing of a benefit-sharing agreement.
• Facilitators are encouraged to replace technical ABS terminology with simplified language to ensure community understanding; for example, 'Prior Informed Consent' should be explained as 'Asking first' and 'Benefit-sharing' as 'Giving something in return'.
• The guide emphasizes that the role of local communities in the ABS process is governed by national regulatory frameworks, which vary by country and may range from granting full responsibility for consent to having no formal role at all.
• Benefit-sharing is described as an exchange that can include both monetary benefits, such as a portion of profits from commercial products, and non-monetary benefits, such as training and the sharing of research results.
• Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) are highlighted as essential tools developed by communities to communicate their customary rules, values, and procedures for engagement to external actors, thereby bridging the gap between local laws and national ABS frameworks.

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} }