Information Exchange in Botanical Garden Networks

Information Exchange

in Botanical Garden NetworksRoyal Botanic Gardens Kew

Streamlining A&BS

• Workable Transactions

• Protection

• Enforcement

Access and Benefit Sharing

• Working with different partners (MoU & MoC)

• Taxonomic / applied research

• Basic research

• Importance of definitions

• Commercial: active extracts/compounds, horticultural, knowledge (traditional)

Convention on Biological Diversity

Mutually Agreed Terms

• Access to Genetic Resources

• Permitted use of Genetic Resources

• Restrictions on Supply

• Benefit-Sharing

• Definitions

Convention on Biological Diversity• Article 15 (5)

• Access to genetic resources subject to “Prior informed Consent”

• Article 15 (2)

• Parties must endeavour to facilitate access

Issues since 1990’s

• Ownership of genetic resources can be unclear

• Stakeholders: who are they? • Benefit Sharing: what type?• Increased complexity: who signs?• Process takes too long for grants: funders

withdraw• CBD issues not recognised by many grant

giving organisation (as if CBD not required for pure academic research)

Concerns about CBD• Lack of clarity

• Different conditions in each country

• Bureaucracy

• Unrealistic expectations

• High transactions costs –who pays?

• Lack of understanding (among all concerned)

EFFECTIVE

PARTNERSHIPS (MSBP)

>100 partner institutions in 50 countries

• Ownership

• Consent

• Activities

• Governance

• Benefit sharing

• Non-commercialisation

• Transfer to third parties

• Duration

PRIOR INFORMED CONSENT

ACCESS & BENEFIT SHARING AGREEMENTS

Project context – InternationalCBD Article 9Each Contracting Party shall ... predominantly for the purpose of complementing in-situ measures:

(a) Adopt measures for the ex-situ conservation of components of biological diversity;

Global Strategy for Plant Conservation

Target 8. 60% of threatened plant species in accessible ex situ collections, preferably in the country of origin, and 10% of them included in recovery and restoration programmes

Objective 2.5 of the NSW Biodiversity Conservation Strategy states:“Action 29: …implement ex-situ conservation measures..”“Action 30: …include ex-situ conservation options in recovery plans for the threatened species, populations or ecological communities where appropriate….”

Objective 1.9 of the National Strategy for the Conservation of Australia’s Biodiversity that is:Ex-situ conservation: “To complement in-situ measures, establish and maintain facilities for ex-situ research into and conservation of plants, animals and micro-organisms, particularly those identified by action taken in accordance with Objective 1.1”

Project context – Local

Collecting and targets

Each year it is proposed to undertake collections from at least 135 species.. and will include:

• species listed as threatened according to state or national legislation;• species belonging to threatened ecosystems;• species endemic to South Australia;• species representative of key ecological communities;• high utility species such as those used in revegetation programs.

By completion of the Project it is proposed to have undertaken conservation collections for 60% of species identified as being nationally threatened according to South Australia’s six regional biodiversity plans.

TECHNOLOGY TRANSFER

Procedures: Access to genetic resources outside Kew

• Identify in-country collaborators

• Identify scope of project

• Identify local issues (e.g. primary IK stays with host country)

• MOU drafted

• Signed by head of institute/government – or suitable authority

• Reporting

Procedures: Access to material at Kew

• Access via institute (rather than individual)• Material Transfer Agreements• Identify Kew Accession number of material (only non-restricted material send out)

• With companies – research undertaken at Kew with material from the “origin country”via the company.

Influence of the Convention of Biological

Diversity on natural product research

The story behind the commercialisation of

DMDP (2,5 dihydroxy-methyl-3,4

dihydroxypyrrolidine)

Costa Rica

• Dan Janzen in 1980 sent some seeds not eaten by insects to Kew from Costa Rica

• Pure ecological research – insect-plant interactions

Result• Identification of DMDP in Lonchocarpus

(of commercial interest)

Agreements

• 1992 Supply agreement

BTG pay INBio for supply of DMDP

Costa Rica can use DMDP as a nematocide

Agreements

• 1992 Supply agreement

BTG pay INBio for supply of DMDP

Costa Rica can use DMDP as a nematocide

• 1995 Collaborative Agreement

Establishment of plantations in Costa Rica

Agreements

• 1992 Supply agreement

BTG pay INBio for supply of DMDP

Costa Rica can use DMDP as a nematocide

• 1995 Collaborative Agreement

Establishment of plantations in Costa Rica

• 1999 Revenue Sharing/ Assignments

Need more DMDP

• Synthetic source

• Alternative natural sources

Massonia depressaHyacinthus orientalis

Lachenalia bulbiferaHYACINTHACEAE

Hyacinth Family

Bioinventory and Bioprospecting of fungi

Iwokrama Forest , Guyana

EU Funded Project

• Iwokrama

• CABI Bioscience

• West Indies University

• Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew

Project Objectives

• Set up laboratory to isolate, identify and screen fungi in Guyana

• Inventory of fungi

• Collection of fungal isolates for screening

• Profile metabolites in extracts

• Undertake basic activity screens on extracts

Progress

• Staff in Guyana recruited and trained–Mycologist, Natural Product Chemist

• Laboratory in Guyana equipped and “ready”• Extracts available for testing • Anti-microbial “leads” identifiedBUT• No legislation in place in Guyana to cover

commercialisation and associated benefit-sharing (resources going into health – transport etc)

Procedures

For projectsMOC/MOU

For materialMaterial supply AgreementsAccession databases

For people Travel Forms: have you agreements in place?

Grants: have you PIC?

Streamlining A&BS

• Workable Transactions

• Protection yes – but (?)

• Enforcement within Kew but outside ?