Indigenous Governance of Traditional Knowledge

<p>This book addresses the issue of Indigenous peoples' participation in genetic resource access and benefit-sharing and associated traditional knowledge for self-determination.</p><p>Genetic resources from nature are increasingly used in global biodiscovery research and development but they often use Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge without their consent and without sharing the benefit. The <em>Nagoya Protocol </em>is an instrument of the <em>Convention on Biological Diversity</em> intended to ensure Indigenous peoples’ traditional knowledge is used with their prior and informed consent or approval and entails benefit-sharing on mutually agreed terms. Many countries with significant Indigenous populations have signed the <em>Nagoya Protocol</em> and are currently grappling with implementation of its provisions. This book takes up a case study of Australia to demonstrate how Indigenous community governance in settler states can serve as a path to implementing the <em>Nagoya Protocol</em>. Australia’s access and benefitsharing framework is globally hailed as best practice offering lessons for other countries implementing the <em>Nagoya Protocol</em>. Focusing on two Indigenous community organisations in Australia the book establishes a unique evaluative framework for analysing and differentiating the governance arrangements used by Indigenous communities for facilitating decision-making related to traditional knowledge.</p><p>This book will appeal to scholars working in the areas of international environmental law human rights biotechnology law and Indigenous legal issues; as well as those directly engaged in implementing access and benefit-sharing measures and developing law reform strategies.</p>