Note:Thefollowinginformationisprovidedasfactualbackgroundforgeneralareasofdiscussiononenvironmentalissuesas

theyrelatetoFirstNationsinCanada.Itisnotintendedtobearesearchpaperortoprovidespecificscientificbackground,but
simplytostimulatethoughtandprovideinformationtothereader.

BIOPIRACY
INTRODUCTION

BioPiracy refers to the practice of corporations, academic institutions and governments in claiming
ownership,ortakingunfairadvantage,ofbiologicalresourcessuchasseedsandgeneticmaterialwithoutthe
permissionoftheindigenouspeoplesorcommunitieswhohavenurturedthoseresources.Biopiracycanalso
refertothetheftoftraditionalknowledgeortechnologiesfromthosecultures.

ioProspectingdescribestheappropriationoftraditionalknowledgeforprofitthroughcommercializationof
ewchemicals,drugsandmedicines.
B
n

SomeFamousBioPiracyCasesAroundTheWorld

RosyPeriwinkle,aplantnativetoMadagascarbutwidelyintroducedtoothertropicalcountries,haslongbeen
cultivated for herbal and traditional medicine to treat diabetes, malaria and Hodgkins disease. Western
pharmaceuticalcompanieshavebegunextractingsubstancesfromtheplanttotreatleukemia.Accusationsof
biopiracy have arisen because patents have been placed on these substances, with no compensation paid to
indigenouscommunities.

(http://www.nybg.org/images/flowering/Rosy_Periwinkle.jpg)

The NeemTree isahardy, fastgrowing, droughttolerant evergreen native to India, Myanmar, Bangladesh,
andPakistan.Itisknownbymanynames:theDivineTree,HealAll,NaturesDrugstore,VillagePharmacy,and
Panacea for all Diseases. All parts of the tree are used for their proven medicinal properties. It is known to
have antifungal, antibacterial, antiviral, and sedative properties. It is also purported to be an effective
treatmentfordiabetesandinfertility,aswellasforparasiticinfections.TheNeemTreeisamajorcomponent
oftraditionalHindumedicine(Ayurveda),andisoftenprescribedforskinrelatedconditions.In1995,theUS


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DepartmentofAgricultureandapharmaceuticalresearchcompanyreceivedapatentonatechniquetoextract
an antifungal agent from the Neem Tree. The patent was eventually overturned in 2005 after the Indian
governmentrespondedtoawidespreadpublicoutcry,andinitiatedlegalaction.

(http://www.jekubi.com/wpcontent/uploads/2008/03/neemtree.jpg)

TheMayocobaBeanisavarietyofMexicanyellowbeanthathasbeenastapleinLatinAmericandietsformore
than a century. A US farmer and entrepreneur, Larry Proctor, imported some mayocoba beans from Mexico
andgrewthemonhisfarminColorado.HerenamedthemEnola,andin1999,heobtainedapatentforthe
bean based on its distinctive shade of yellow. Proctor then began suing a large number of Mexican yellow
beanexporters,whohadbeenexportingthisbeanforyears,resultinginadecreaseofover90inexportsales,
andmassiveeconomicdamagetomorethan22,000farmersinnorthernMexicowhodependedonthesaleof
this bean. The patent was eventually revoked in May 2008 after an application was brought before the US
PatentandTradeOffice.

(http://www.foodsubs.com/Photos/maicobabeans.jpg)

ONEOFTHEFIRSTKNOWNCASESOFB ACYASPIRIN IOPIR

The leaves and bark of the willow tree (Salix sp.) have long been used as a traditional remedy for aches and
fever by the Assyrians, Sumerians and Ancient Egyptians. For indigenous peoples across North America, the
willowtreeandSpiraea(alsoknownasMeadowsweet)wasanessentialcomponentofmedicinaltreatments
thisisbecauseboththeseplantscontaincompoundscalledsalicylatesthatwereprecursorstoaspirin.Oneof
the first known cases of biopiracy occurred with the discovery of this aspirin by Bayer AG, a German



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chemical and pharmaceutical company founded in 1863. By 1899, Bayer had isolated the specific active
compoundsintheseplants,calledthenewdrugAspirinandsolditaroundtheworld

CONSIDE ATIO ANDCHALLENGES R NS

The United Nations International Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) believes that bioprospecting
greements can be made on "access and benefit sharing" to overcome biopiracy, however many indigenous a
groupsdisagree.

Given that almost 90 percent of the worlds biodiversity lies within the territories of indigenous peoples,
whether the Amazon, the Indian subcontinent, or the oldgrowth forests of Canada, both biopiracy and bio
rospectingposechallengesforindigenouspeoplesaroundtheworld.Notedactivist,AlejandroArgumentof
heQuechuapeoplehasstated:
p
t

Bioprospecting is like waking up in the middle of the night to find your house being robbed. On the
wayoutthedoor,thethievestellyounottoworrybecausetheypromisetogiveyouashareofwhatever
profittheymakesellingwhatusedtobelongtoyou.

FurtherInformation

Biopiracy
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Biopiracy#The_Neem_Tree

Captain Hook Awards for Bio-Piracy
http://www.captainhookawards.org/biopiracy

Erosion, Technology and Conservation (ETC) Group
http://www.etcgroup.org/en/issues/

Intellectual Property Handbook Bioprospecting, Traditional Knowledge and Benefit Sharing
http://www.iphandbook.org/handbook/ch16/

Neem Tree A Case History of Bio-Piracy
http://www.twnside.org.sg/title/pir-ch.htm

Patents and Biopiracy
http://nativeharvest.com/node/249

Rosy Periwinkle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rosy_Periwinkle

US Patent Office rejects company's claim for bean commonly grown by Latin American farmers
http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2008-04/bc-upo043008.php