Protecção do Conhecimento Tradicional: Princípios, Práticas e Referências Essenciais

The document outlines the importance of protecting traditional knowledge in Mozambique, highlighting risks such as biopiracy and commercial exploitation. It defines the role of academia in ensuring ethical research through informed consent and benefit-sharing, and recommends three key frameworks: the SADC Research Ethics Guidelines, the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) Code of Ethics, and the research ethics regulations of Eduardo Mondlane University.

• Traditional knowledge in Mozambique is threatened by several critical risks, including biopiracy—the unauthorized commercial exploitation of genetic resources and knowledge—and the erosion of knowledge caused by rapid social and environmental changes that disconnect younger generations from traditional practices.
• The Nagoya Protocol (2010) serves as a global benchmark for protecting traditional knowledge by establishing international standards for obtaining prior informed consent, negotiating mutually agreed terms for access, and ensuring the fair sharing of benefits.
• Mozambique has established several legal instruments to protect traditional knowledge and cultural heritage, including Decree No. 19/2007 on Access and Benefit Sharing, Law No. 10/88 on Cultural Heritage Protection, Law No. 20/97 on the Environment, Law No. 10/99 on Forests and Wildlife, and Decree 47/2015 regarding Patents and Industrial Property Rights.
• Academic institutions are urged to move beyond treating communities as mere sources of information and instead incorporate them as active partners in the planning, execution, and analysis of research.
• The SADC Research Ethics Guidelines and Toolkit provide a regional standard for the SADC member states to apply ethical codes and integrity in research, specifically regarding the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol across moral, professional, special, and statutory dimensions.
• The International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE) Code of Ethics emphasizes the right of communities to conduct research on their own terms and aims to prevent the repetition of historical injustices where research was conducted without consent, leading to biological and cultural damage.
• Eduardo Mondlane University (UEM) manages research ethics through its Research Policy (Resolution No. 03/CUN/2007) and the Research Ethics Committee (CEI-UEM), supplemented by the Institutional Bioethics Committee for Health created in 2013 to protect participant rights and promote international bioethical standards.

APA

Natural Justice (2025). Protecção do Conhecimento Tradicional: Princípios, Práticas e Referências Essenciais. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Page-Moz-Protecting-Our-Heritage-6-8pagesPortuguese.pdf

Chicago

Natural Justice. Protecção do Conhecimento Tradicional: Princípios, Práticas e Referências Essenciais. 2025. https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Page-Moz-Protecting-Our-Heritage-6-8pagesPortuguese.pdf.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Natural Justice |title=Protecção do Conhecimento Tradicional: Princípios, Práticas e Referências Essenciais |date=February 2025 |url=https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Page-Moz-Protecting-Our-Heritage-6-8pagesPortuguese.pdf |access-date=23 October 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{naturaljustice2025proteco, author = {{Natural Justice}}, title = {{Protecção do Conhecimento Tradicional: Princípios, Práticas e Referências Essenciais}}, institution = {Natural Justice}, year = {2025}, month = feb, url = {https://naturaljustice.org/wp-content/uploads/2025/10/Page-Moz-Protecting-Our-Heritage-6-8pagesPortuguese.pdf}, urldate = {2026-10-23}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }