ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TOOLKIT

The Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) Toolkit by Natural Justice is a guide for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Southern Africa to manage the use of their biological resources and Traditional Knowledge. It explains the ABS process, where users (industry or researchers) obtain consent from providers (communities) to use resources in exchange for monetary or non-monetary benefits. The document emphasizes the use of Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) to establish community rules and rights, and details the legal frameworks governing these processes, including the international Nagoya Protocol and South Africa's National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act (NEMBA). It also addresses the role of intellectual property rights, the importance of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), and the necessity of sustainable resource stewardship to prevent biopiracy and biodiversity loss.

• Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) is a process where providers (communities) and users (industry or researchers) negotiate access to genetic or biological resources and associated Traditional Knowledge in exchange for benefits, which can be monetary (profits, royalties) or non-monetary (research skills, knowledge).
• Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) serve as tools for communities to document their identity, customary rules, and the conditions under which they grant Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC), helping to bridge the gap between customary law and national/international frameworks.
• Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) is a mandatory requirement for users accessing resources; it must be 'Free' (no coercion), 'Prior' (given before use), and 'Informed' (community understands the user's intent).

APA

Natural Justice (n.d.). ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TOOLKIT. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ABS-toolkit_MARULA_mailer-1.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TOOLKIT. n.d. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ABS-toolkit_MARULA_mailer-1.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TOOLKIT |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ABS-toolkit_MARULA_mailer-1.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljusticendaccess, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{ACCESS AND BENEFIT-SHARING TOOLKIT}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/ABS-toolkit_MARULA_mailer-1.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }