Submission to the CBD Expert Group on traditional knowledge associated with genetic resources, Hyderabad 16-19 June 09

We are a group of international, national/local and indigenous organisations conducting research on customary laws and practices related to traditional knowledge and genetic resources, and their implications for access and benefit-sharing . This project, which began in January 2005, has entailed policy analysis and participatory studies with indigenous and local (traditional farming) communities, in areas of important biological diversity. The case studies focused on both traditional health systems and agro-biodiversity and related knowledge (especially traditional varieties of rice, potatoes and maize) in different ecological contexts (mountain, dryland, semi-arid savannah and coastal forests).