Search Climate Insights Directory

The Biocultural Community Protocol for Niafrang serves as a guide for the sustainable use of natural resources and the protection of traditional knowledge. It details the village's ecosystem, including its critical dune system, and outlines the socio-economic reliance on palm oil, rice, and forest products. The document highlights severe threats from a proposed zircon mining project, which the community argues would destroy a vital hydraulic barrier and disrupt local agriculture. It establishes a framework for access and benefit-sharing of genetic resources and reaffirms the community's commitment to protecting its environment and customary laws.

The OvaHerero va Kaoko of Namibia and Angola have developed this community protocol to safeguard their ancestral territories, traditional knowledge, and cultural heritage. The document details their kinship systems, historical migrations, and the spiritual significance of their land and the Kunene/Cunene River. It outlines the community's traditional governance, the role of women, and their sustainable practices for managing livestock, water, and plants. The protocol asserts the community's biocultural rights under national and international law, calling for the recognition of their ancestral land rights and the protection of their traditional knowledge from misappropriation.

The document outlines the identity, history, and biocultural rights of the OvaHerero of Kaokoland, spanning Namibia and Angola. It details their semi-nomadic pastoralist lifestyle, the spiritual significance of their ancestral lands and the Kunene River, and their traditional governance systems based on the principle of Ubuntu. The protocol identifies threats such as land encroachment, cultural erosion due to modernisation, and climate change, while proposing solutions including the recognition of customary land rights and the implementation of Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for developments on their territory.

The community biocultural protocol of Sahandrazana establishes a framework for the management of genetic resources and traditional knowledge in the Vatovavy region of Madagascar. It outlines the community's governance structure, the role of traditional leaders (Rois), and the specific steps external researchers or entrepreneurs must follow to obtain consent. The document emphasizes the integration of customary laws with national legislation, such as the Nagoya Protocol and Decree 2017-066, to ensure equitable benefit-sharing and the protection of biodiversity and cultural heritage.

The 2023 Community Biocultural Protocol of Fokontany Ampangalantsary establishes a framework for external actors to access genetic resources and traditional knowledge. It outlines a mandatory process for obtaining prior informed consent through community meetings, defines the roles of local leadership (such as the President of the Fokontany and Tangalamena), and details the community's traditional taboos and customary land rights. The protocol emphasizes the fair and equitable sharing of benefits, preferring non-financial contributions like infrastructure development, and maintains community registers to document medicinal, cosmetic, agricultural, and food-related genetic resources.

The Khoikhoi Peoples’ Rooibos Biocultural Community Protocol is a guide developed by the National Khoisan Council (NKC) to protect the traditional knowledge (TK) of the Khoikhoi people regarding Rooibos. It documents the historical dispossession of the Khoikhoi under colonialism and apartheid, asserts their status as original knowledge holders, and outlines the legal and procedural frameworks for obtaining Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for the use of their biocultural heritage. The document details a benefit-sharing model involving a trust and a traditional knowledge levy to provide restitution for past misappropriation.

The Ogiek Bio-Cultural Community Protocol (BCP) serves as a community-determined framework to protect the rights and traditional knowledge of the Ogiek, an indigenous hunter-gatherer group in Kenya. It documents their unique relationship with the Mau Forest Complex, detailing their eco-climatic zoning system, traditional medicinal knowledge, and sustainable honey-harvesting practices. The protocol outlines the challenges the community faces, including forced evictions, forest degradation from logging and charcoal burning, and cultural erosion. It establishes a community agreement based on national and international law, demanding Free Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) for development projects and equitable Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) for the use of their resources. The document also defines a traditional governance structure led by a Council of Elders and proposes a land management system divided into biodiversity conservation, rehabilitation, and settlement zones.

The document outlines the protocols and legal framework for traditional health practitioners in the Bushbuckridge area of South Africa to manage their traditional knowledge and access to medicinal plants. It addresses challenges such as illegal harvesting, lack of recognition, and restricted access to protected areas like Kruger National Park. The association seeks formal recognition from the Department of Health and collaboration with environmental agencies to ensure sustainable use of biodiversity and fair benefit-sharing.

The Lamu County Bio-Cultural Community Protocol (BCP) is a communal document created by the Bajun, Swahili, Sanye, Aweer, and Orma communities to protect their ancestral lands and nature-based livelihoods. It details the diverse economic niches of these groups—including fishing, pastoralism, and hunting-gathering—and the traditional conservation methods they employ. The document strongly opposes the LAPSSET project and the Amu Power coal plant, citing a lack of free, prior, and informed consent, threats to biodiversity, and the risk of cultural erasure. It concludes by demanding legal recognition of community land rights and the adoption of renewable energy alternatives.

The Vhavenda Biocultural Community Protocol is a community-led framework designed to safeguard the sacred natural sites (Zwifho), indigenous knowledge systems, and land rights of 11 Vhavenda communities. It documents the spiritual and ecological significance of these sites, outlines traditional governance structures, and asserts the communities' right to Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) regarding any development on their ancestral lands. The protocol highlights threats from industrial development, such as the Musina-Makhado Special Economic Zone, and climate change, while calling for the restoration of land and the protection of intangible cultural heritage.