Access and Benefit Sharing TWG
Access and benefit-sharing (ABS) refers to the way in which biodiversity, ecosystem services and other natural resources may be accessed and how the benefits (monetary and non-monetary) that accrue from their use are shared between the people or countries using the resources (users) and the people or countries that provide them (providers). It is one of the three objectives of the Convention of Biodiversity (CBD) and is addressed by the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization. Farmers are providers of benefits if they practice agroecological and other sustainable land management (SLM) practices which leads to ecological services such as increased water flow in rivers, soil conservation (reduced siltation of rivers and dams), flood protection, carbon sequestration, etc. Such benefits are often enjoyed by other users apart from the farmers (e.g. energy generating companies such as KenGen, water consuming private sector players such as Coca-Cola company, etc.) but who rarely pay for the service provided or maintained by the farmers – a concept termed payment for ecosystem services (PES). Farmers (providers) can get into access and benefits sharing agreements (ABSAs) with the consuming entities (users) to be paid for their role in maintaining the flow and integrity of biodiversity and ecosystem services.
This TWG will ensure that the Nagoya Protocol is domesticated and operationalized in Kenya. Key activities will include but not limited to;
1. Create awareness on access and benefits sharing, including on domestication of the Nagoya Protocol
2. Engage with the development and implementation of the Draft Natural Resources (Benefits Sharing) Bill 2018
3. In consultation with relevant stakeholders, explore possibility of establishing PES schemes to incentivise and benefit farmers practicing agroecology and promoting agrobiodiversity as providers of crucial ecosystem services
4. Document and create awareness on traditional and indigenous knowledge related to agrobiodiversity and agroecology
5. Produce a 2-4-pager report (by end of August 2020) with challenges and recommendations on how best to promote access and benefit sharing of genetic resources
Key guiding documents
• Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefits Sharing
• Introduction to Access and Benefit Sharing
• International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture
• The Natural Resources (Benefit Sharing) Bill, 2018
• Lake Naivasha Pilot PES Project