The National Biodiversity Authority has released a new set of rules to manage sharing of benefits generated through the use of biological resources. The Biological Diversity (Access to biological Resources and Knowledge Associated thereto and Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits) Regulation 2025 was approved by the Central government and …
The Shaman tribe of the Amazon rainforest have sought to revoke a patent granted to businessperson from the us on their most sacred plant, a vine called ayauasca , which has medicinal and ceremonial qualities. The tribe uses ayuhuasca to make a potent hallucinogenic brew for religious rituals. "The vine …
the innovative attempt to give money in return for the traditional knowledge of the Kani tribals of the Western Ghats as Intellectual Property is now complete. Royalty from the sale of
Despite Viagara hitting the stores in Hong Kong, the sale of Chinese medicines has not been affected. The Hong Kong health authorities approved the sale of Viagara in February 1999 and the manufacturer Pfizer rushed it to the local pharmaceuticals. Pharmacist Pat Lee said, "On an average, only three or …
I t was too good to last. The honeymoon between the us -based Shaman Pharmaceuticals and 30 ethnic communities across Latin America, Africa and Southeast Asia seems to be over. In February 1998, Provir, a promising anti-diarrhoeal drug based on ethnic medicinal knowledge, which Shaman was trying to develop for …
AN exhibition of photographs by Rajnikant Yadav, entitled "Images of Narmada', was held from December 9 to 15 at the Indian International Centre, New Delhi. It documented the culture of various tribes living on the banks of the Narmada, including Bhils, Bhilalas, Baigas and Gonds. That Yadav has travelled extensively …
about three decades ago, Nuka Raja, a farmer of Bhimavaram village in east Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh, used to sow only traditional crops. The crop yield was low, but sufficient. In the 1980s, a tobacco company persuaded him to switch to tobacco, promising fertilisers, pesticides and a loan. Many …
In 1995, the government's Integrated Tribal Development Project in Nedumangad initiated a scheme in collaboration with TBGRI to help the Kanis grow medicinal plants in their settlements. Under the project, 50 select families received Rs 1,000 each. Reportedly, 20.25 hectares were under cultivation. "Many people successfully cultivated arogyapacha" notes Rajasekharan. …
The benefit sharing scheme for arogyapacha saw hurdles right from the start. On July 22, 1995, the then chief minister of Kerala, A K Antony, was to sign a memorandum of understanding with Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP), marking the technology transfer from the Tropical Botanical Garden and Research Institute (TBGRI). …
"We are now documenting the tribal medical knowledge and details of the medicinal plants that the tribals use," says Vishwanathan Nair, director, KIRTADS. A PhD in tribal medicine, Nair says he refused to publish his thesis as he first wanted to know what the tribals have got. He also fears …
In November 1995, TBGRI sold the formula to Arya Vaidya Pharmacy (AVP) of Coimbatore for a licence fee of Rs 10 lakh to produce the drug for seven years. The licence fee and the 2 per cent royalty on the profits from the formulation was to be shared equally by …
The miracle-makers Scientists are only now finding out the Kanis' knowledge of herbal remedies.The most outstanding find so far is arogyapacha. SMELL of burning bamboo. The short and wiry figure of Ayyappan Kani. The elderly man is busy mixing herbs with a strange extraction from a piece of burnt bamboo. …
IT COULD well be one of the most exhaustive scientific pursuits undertaken in post-independence India. The All India Coordinated Research Project on Ethnobiology (AICRPE) has unearthed a large spectrum of uses that tribal popuations of the country make of plants and animals. Home to some of the world's most diverse …
THE traditional Indian systems of medicine such as Auyrveda, Unani and Siddha, are facing a threat from an unlikely quarter - the World Trade Organisation's (WTO'S) rules on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRS). With the US and various other multinational companies reportedly on the rampage to acquire patent rights on medicinal …
NAGAMMA, 55, is a vaidyar (traditional doctor), who is an expert in curing snakebites. She lives in Keerapakkam village, Chengalpet district, Tamil Nadu. One morning, Chinappa, a snake catcher, was bitten by a large cobra. He was taken to several doctors, but no one could cure him. He was gasping …
Researchers at the Magan Sangrahalaya in Wardha, Maharashtra, have designed an efficient charkha (spinning wheel). This three-spindle spinning machine is simple, light and reasonably priced. A team led by expert Narayanarao Khallarkar is working further to improve the technique and management of decentralised spinning and weaving system. The traditional charkha …
representatives of 180 countries are preparing to discuss the significance of traditional knowledge systems and their role in conservation and use of resources from May 4 to 16 at the Slovak capital of Bratislava. It is expected that the rights of indigenous communities
On his interest in this subject: Since childhood I have been observing trees, insects, birds and animals. I was interested in doing my Ph D and since nature has always fascinated me, I decided to work on the village biodiversity ecosystem. On the advantage he had over other researchers: I …
Sacred groves in India, including the Himalaya, have been affected by population growth and development pressures, but Himachal Pradesh is an exception. Sacred groves, called devta ke jangal (the forests of the gods) in this state, include all types of vegetation
Looking for solutions to a problem that has not even been identified properly is like hunting for the snark. Nobody has seen a snark and no one knows what it looks like. But common sense suggests that some measures could prevent aggravation of the situation. First, there is a need …
On the most barren and denuded mountain in the lower Himalaya in Uttar Pradesh, one can observe a patch of trees at the top and a shrine or a temple. Garhwal and Kumaun
