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The Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) Toolkit is a guide for Indigenous Peoples and Local Communities in Southern Africa to navigate the legal and practical aspects of sharing genetic resources and Traditional Knowledge. It explains the ABS process, the role of Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) in asserting rights, and the requirements for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). The document details the South African legal framework, including the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act of 2004 (NEMBA) and the BABS Regulations, while highlighting the importance of sustainable stewardship and the risks of biopiracy.

The Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) Toolkit is a resource for community members and traditional leaders in Southern Africa to manage the use of their biological resources and Traditional Knowledge by external users. It explains the ABS process, where providers (communities) and users (industry or researchers) negotiate terms for access and the sharing of monetary or non-monetary benefits. The document emphasizes the use of Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) to establish community rules and identity, and details the requirement for Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). It outlines the legal frameworks governing these processes, including the international Nagoya Protocol and South Africa's National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act of 2004 (NEMBA). The toolkit also addresses intellectual property rights, conservation strategies, and the specific case of the Buchu plant in South Africa.

The document serves as a guide for community facilitators to understand Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), defined as the "fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources." It details the legal rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities under the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol, emphasizing the necessity of prior and informed consent and mutually agreed terms. The guide highlights the disparity where resources are often in the Global South while benefits flow to the Global North, and it provides case studies from Southern Africa and India to illustrate the challenges of implementing fair ABS agreements. It concludes with practical advice for communities to develop biocultural community protocols and engage in advocacy to secure their rights over traditional knowledge and genetic resources.

The document provides a comprehensive introduction to Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), focusing on the rights of indigenous peoples and local communities to ensure the "fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources." It details the roles of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the Nagoya Protocol, emphasizing the necessity of Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC) and mutually agreed terms. The guide outlines the rights and responsibilities of communities, governments, and private sector users, while highlighting challenges such as the requirement for state-recognized resource rights and the historical imbalance where resources from the Global South benefit the Global North.

The fact sheet describes Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) as endogenous, inclusive tools used by indigenous and local communities to define their rights and responsibilities under customary, state, and international law. It details how BCPs facilitate proactive responses to threats like illegal mining and infrastructure projects, and how they support the protection of traditional knowledge and biodiversity. The document provides several case studies from Africa, Asia, and Latin America, and promotes a toolkit and website for community facilitators to develop and implement these protocols.

The Kukula Traditional Health Practitioners Association, comprising over 350 healers in South Africa's Bushbuckridge area, has established this protocol to protect their traditional knowledge and ensure the sustainable use of medicinal plants. The association highlights threats to their livelihoods, including biodiversity loss, lack of benefit-sharing from researchers, and discrimination. They advocate for secured access to medicinal plants in communal and protected areas, calling for partnerships with conservation agencies like SANParks. The protocol mandates that any access to their knowledge or biological resources by researchers or commercial bioprospectors must be approved by their Executive Committee through a process of prior informed consent, community deliberation, and ancestral consultation, adhering to both customary and South African domestic law.

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 document introduces 'biocultural community protocols' as tools for Indigenous and local communities to articulate their customary laws, values, and decision-making processes to external actors. It provides a structured four-part framework for facilitators to guide communities through the process of documentation, implementation, and reflection. The toolkit emphasizes endogenous development, legal empowerment, and participatory methods—such as community mapping, participatory video, and 'Legislative Theatre'—to reduce power asymmetries and safeguard collective biocultural heritage against external threats like land grabbing and industrial resource extraction.

The document outlines strategies for using biocultural community protocols to establish dialogue with external stakeholders, raise awareness internally and externally, and participate in legal and administrative decision-making processes. It emphasizes the use of participatory communication tools—such as video, photography, and community mapping—to balance power dynamics and ensure Free, Prior and Informed Consent (FPIC). The guide also provides practical advice on navigating national and international legal frameworks, negotiating binding agreements, and resolving conflicts through non-violent, alternative dispute resolution mechanisms.

The document outlines a three-part process for managing biocultural community protocols: intrinsic analysis of community changes, extrinsic analysis of interactions with external actors, and the subsequent evaluation and revision of the protocol itself. It emphasizes participatory methods, such as the 'Most Significant Change' technique, to capture qualitative impacts on community wellbeing and gender roles. The guide also stresses the importance of keeping both internal community members and external stakeholders informed through diverse communication tools to maintain transparency and trust.

The document defines biocultural community protocols as participatory instruments used by Indigenous and local communities to document their customary laws, values, and decision-making processes. These protocols aim to bridge the gap between community worldviews and external actors—such as governments and companies—to prevent resource exploitation and ensure the respect of customary stewardship. The toolkit outlines a four-part process: understanding the community, documenting the protocol, using it for engagement, and reflecting on outcomes. It provides a wide array of participatory tools, including community sketch maps, trend line analysis, and participatory theatre, to empower communities through legal awareness and social mobilization.

The document describes Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) as community-determined frameworks that define values, procedures, and priorities to guide engagement with governments, companies, and NGOs. It outlines how BCPs help communities secure customary rights and respond to threats like illegal mining or infrastructure projects. The briefing provides case studies from Ghana, Malaysia, Kenya, India, and South Africa, illustrating the use of BCPs for resource mapping, legal empowerment, and the protection of traditional knowledge and biodiversity. It also promotes a four-part Toolkit for Community Facilitators to support the endogenous development of these protocols.

The Heroes Project, a collaboration between Natural Justice and the Law+Environment+Design Laboratory, aims to heal collective historical trauma in Khoi-San youth in South Africa. By creating graphic narratives based on Joseph Campbell's 'hero's journey' and Khoi-San mythology, the project seeks to provide positive role models and reconnect youth with their cultural identity. The initiative combines legal support with creative interventions, utilizing workshops in the Cape Flats to gather real-life stories and develop characters based on Jungian archetypes and spiritually significant animals.

The document outlines the role of community protocols as interfaces between customary laws and national ABS frameworks, drawing on case studies from Kenya, South Africa, Namibia, Benin, Madagascar, and Cameroon to highlight best practices in community empowerment and legal recognition.

The report examines the interaction between ICCAs and international and national laws, finding that while international instruments and some national policies show progress, systemic gaps and discriminatory implementation continue to threaten these areas. It highlights the critical need for the recognition of customary land rights, self-determination, and integrated socio-ecological legislation to support community-led conservation.

The document provides a comprehensive framework for Senegalese communities to understand climate change, assess their vulnerabilities, and take 'climate action' through legal empowerment. It details the specific climate risks facing Senegal, lists international and national legal obligations, and provides a step-by-step toolkit for advocacy, information access, and litigation.

The report analyzes Mozambique's legal landscape regarding traditional knowledge (TK), highlighting a fragmented system where protection is often indirect. While the 2007 ABS Regulation (Decree No. 19/2007) is the primary tool for biodiversity-related TK, it faces implementation challenges and is currently under revision. Other frameworks, including the Industrial Property Code and Copyright Law, offer limited or specific protections like geographical indications. The document emphasizes the role of community participation in natural resource management and identifies poverty, weak community institutions, and lack of legal awareness as major barriers to effective TK protection.

The document outlines the process of creating community conservancies in Kenya, emphasizing the necessity of land registration under the Community Land Act 2016 to ensure tenure security. It details various legal registration options—including CBOs, NGOs, trusts, and cooperatives—and proposes governance models that balance community leadership with stakeholder collaboration. The guide provides a framework for developing management plans, securing wildlife, and negotiating fair contracts with private investors. Additionally, it advocates for the integration of traditional indigenous knowledge and the use of Bio-cultural Community Protocols to address climate change and biodiversity loss.

The ABS Picture Box is a facilitator-led communication tool consisting of eight images and supporting background information. It is designed to help indigenous peoples and local communities in Africa understand and participate in Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) processes, specifically concerning the utilization of biological resources and associated traditional knowledge.

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.