Regional plant knowledge to feed new bill

A SERIES of workshops kick off this month across all 13 regions of the country to consult the locals on how to gain access and benefit from plants such as the hoodia.

The first of these workshops, hosted by the Ministry of Environment and Tourism, is scheduled for the southern regions at Keetmanshoop from June 28 until 30. Dietlinde Nekwaya, coordinator of the Capacity Enhancement to Implement the Global Environmental Conventions in Namibia (CEGEM) project in the ministry, explained that ‘people in the regions are the resource users and it is very important to consult them. Their input and ideas will be incorporated into the Access to Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge Bill.The bill is aimed at giving local people access to genetic plants and resources.Nekwaya said the bill will also look at issues such as traditional knowledge associated with the resources in question. For this reason it is critical that people understand the value of traditional knowledge and their intellectual property rights. The hoodia plant that grows wild in the Karas, Khomas, Kunene, Erongo and Hardap regions of Namibia possesses appetite-suppressing properties. The cactus-like plant, known as Xhoba by the San people who have been harvesting it for hundreds of years, is sought after across Europe and America for these qualities. Researchers are investigating whether the plant can contribute to a cure for obesity.Another plant, the devil’s claw, is used to treat arthritis.Access to genetic resources and the benefit sharing thereof in Namibia has been regulated by the Interim Bio-Prospecting Committee (IBPC), established by Cabinet in 2007 and the first Bill on Access to Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge was developed in 1998.However, the bill was found to be too narrow in scope given the evolving international trends around genetic resources and traditional knowledge.*Absalom Shigwedha is a Namibian environment and sustainable development journalist based in Windhoek.