Access to genetic resources and benefit sharing (ABS): Does the Nagoya Protocol matter for me?

The workshop Access to genetic resources and benefit sharing (ABS): does the Nagoya Protocol matter for me? is offered as part of the 52nd Annual Meeting of the Ecological Society (GfÖ) of Germany, Austria and Switzerland 2023. An overview of all formats with which NFDI4Biodiversity is participating in the conference can be found here.

Are you performing research on biological material that came from outside Germany? Are you familiar with the legal requirements surrounding use of international biological diversity? If not, this workshop is for you!

Scientific research is key to successfully implement the Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF) and reach the 2030 targets on conservation, restoration and sustainable use of biological diversity. Studies that harness biological diversity and integrate genetic data and information are necessary to understand ecological processes and its results can contribute to making decisions on conservation, restoration and management of biological resources in provider countries (the countries where the samples come from). That is part of the principles of Access to genetic resources and Benefit-Sharing (or ABS for short). The Nagoya Protocol and obligations around ABS can be complex even for experienced professionals. The German Nagoya Protocol HuB project helps scientists and researchers understand how to legally access genetic resources and supports them in ensuring fair and equitable benefit-sharing happens. The HuB Project focuses on user-friendly and interactive tools to communicate about ABS to make it accessible and understandable.

During the last years, sharing benefits from Digital Sequence Information (DSI) without hindering scientific research, has been a hot-button issue in international discussion. "DSI" is a policy term that refers broadly to genomic sequence data and other related digital data. It is largely shared via open access databases and is perceived to create a loophole to the Nagoya Protocol and to the fulfillment of fair and equitable benefit-sharing. On the other hand, DSI provides a critical scientific tool for a range of public good research and the implementation of the GBF.

It is important that scientists understand and engage with the international discussions, because political decisions would have serious implications on how research with sequence data currently works.

Attendees to the workshop will have a better understanding about ABS, their obligations under the Nagoya Protocol, new tools for compliance, and an update of the international discussion on benefit-sharing from DSI.

Organizers

• Juliane Röder (Philipps-Universität Marburg, NFDI4Biodiversity, juliane.roeder@uni-marburg.de)
• Melania Muñoz García (Leibniz Institute DSMZ, melania.munoz@dsmz.de)
• Amber Scholz (Leibniz Institute DSMZ, amber.scholz@dsmz.de)
• Barbara Ebert, GFBio e.V., NFDI4Biodiversity, barbara.ebert@gfbio.org)

Speakers

• Melania Muñoz García (Leibniz Institute DSMZ)
• Amber Scholz (Leibniz Institute DSMZ)
• Scarlett Sett (Kiel University)
• Ellen Frederichs (BfN)
• Meike Teschke (DFG)
• Débora Raposo (GFBio e.V.)