Policy and Trade
The People and Plants International (PPI) Policy & Trade program works on laws and policies that influence the lives and livelihoods of people in biologically diverse areas. The program promotes sustainable and equitable approaches to resource management, use and trade through a range of approaches and at multiple scales, including customary law and local, national, regional and international laws and policies.
Program activities focus on land tenure and resource rights, non-timber forest products and genetic resources and are undertaken with partner institutions and groups around the world. Activities include:
- Research that fills gaps in information and understanding necessary for the design and implementation of sound policies and laws, and helps to better identify and evaluate presumed "problems" and potential "solutions";
- Publication of books, articles and policy briefs to disseminate these findings to policy makers and others; and,
- Participation in national, regional and international policy processes in order to contribute information, analysis and perspectives that promote effective and equitable policies.
The main projects of People and Plants' Policy & Trade program are Wild Product Governance, which works on laws and policies guiding the use, management and trade of non-timber forest products and the Commercial Use of Biodiversity, which promotes equity and sustainability in the commercial trade and use of genetic resources, in particular through the policy process associated with the Convention on Biological Diversity.
Wild Product Governance Project: Policies for the use, management, and trade of non-timber forest products
Products from the wild, also known as non-timber forest products (NTFPs), are used as medicines, foods, spices, and a multitude of other purposes. They contribute substantially to rural livelihoods, generate revenue for companies and governments, and have a range of impacts on biodiversity conservation. However, throughout the world NTFPs have been both overlooked and poorly regulated by governments. Inappropriate policies have not only led to over-exploitation but have also generated new forms of inequity. This project seeks to address problems with NTFP governance through research, policy briefs and publications, and advocacy and engagement with local groups, and national and international policy processes. See, for example, Wynberg, R. and S. A. Laird. 2007. Less is often more: governance of a non-timber forest product, marula (Sclerocarya birrea subsp. caffra) in southern Africa. International Forestry Review 9(1): 475-90.
Wild Product Governance: the book
The book reviews experiences with NTFP law and policy and provides information to support new policy approaches towards NTFP regulation and the broader issues of governance associated with these products. The volume includes cases from around the world, a review of literature and resources, and an annotated bibliography linked to the People and Plants International website. Chapters from countries and regions include: Bolivia, Brazil, Cameroon, Canada, China, Fiji, Finland, India, Mexico, The Philippines, Southern Africa, the United Kingdom, and the United States. Purchase a copy of this book here. 
Wild Product Governance: Finding policies that work for non-timber forest products was published by Earthscan in May 2010 and is the latest People and Plants International manual. It was published in collaboration with the United Nations University, Centre for International Forestry Research, Institute for Culture and Ecology, and the University of Cape Town.
Wild Product Governance: Policy Brief
To complement and supplement the book and ensure wider outreach, a policy brief was produced for distribution at national and international policy processes, including the Convention on Biological Diversity, the World Forestry Congress, and the UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues. Download PDF English.
The Commercial Use of Biodiversity Project
Bioprospecting—the commercial exploration of biological material with potentially valuable genetic and biochemical properties - has sparked considerable debate in public and policy circles in recent decades. Drawing on cutting-edge genetic and information technologies, it promises a lot: new drugs to cure diseases; innovative cosmetic, food, plant, and healthcare products; technology for developing countries; incentives to conserve biodiversity in poor countries; and potentially rich rewards for those providing the biological material and knowledge. The Convention on Biological Diversity, negotiated in 1992 during the Earth Summit in rio de Janeiro, laid down the legal and institutional framework to help realize these anticipated benefits. Almost twenty years later, however, negotiations between holders and users of genetic resources are caught up in an environment characterized by misunderstanding, mistrust, and regulatory confusion. Cries of “biopiracy” abound from those concerned about the misappropriation of genetic resources and knowledge without the consent of traditional knowledge holders or countries of origin. Industry and scientists, on the other hand, express their frustration regarding the bureaucracies created by new regulations and perceived hurdles to research placed by biodiversity-rich countries. Now scientists, industry, policymakers, and traditional communities are negotiating an international “access and benefit-sharing” regime that many hope will resolve some of these apparently intractable issues. People and Plants International is working with a wide range of groups to help develop more effective and equitable policies for the commercial use of genetic resources. Recent publications by PPI members on bioprospecting include: Click here for a list of other publications on bioprospecting by PPI members. Access and Benefit-Sharing Case Studies Access and Benefit-Sharing in Practice: Trends in Partnerships Across Sectors. Sarah Laird and Rachel Wynberg, CBD Technical Series No. 38, 2008. Despite the flurry in interest in Access and Benefit-Sharing arrangements after the signing of the CBD in 1992, there have been surprisingly few studies to track their evolution. This report, launched by the CBD Secretariat at the Conference of Parties in Bonn, Germany, in May 2008, is based on a review of ABS arrangements in order to ensure that negotiations to develop and International Regime under the CBD are informed by best practice and lessons learnt from implementation. Download PDF English. Commissioned by the Australian Government Department of Environment, Water, Heritage, and the Arts, this study examines a fourteen year partnership based on the collection of marine and terrestrial samples primarily from Queensland, but also China, India, Papua New Guinea, and Tasmania. This report was also launched at the CBD Conference of Parties in Bonn, May 2008. Download PDF English. 
Queensland Biodiscovery Collaboration: The Griffith University AstraZeneca Natural Products Discovery: An Access and Benefit-Sharing Case Study. Sarah Laird, Catherine Monagle and Sam Johnston, United Nations University Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS), 2008.
Bioscience and Biodiplomacy at a Crossroads, Sarah Laird and Rachel Wynberg, United Nations University (in preparation).
This book seeks to provide information and insights into current practices and trends in biodiversity research and bioprospecting. The book will present basic background information, and will also explore - through a range of case studies and contributions - extraordinary developments in biodiversity science and technology, many of which will change the way regulation of these resources is commonly viewed, providing researchers, students and policy-makers a glimpse of where todays’ trends are likely to take us in the coming years.
A recurring problem with the access and benefit-sharing (ABS) policy process in the last few decades is limited understanding of the science and technology that underpin bioprospecting, and the market, industry and societal trends that drive demand for access to genetic resources and shape benefit-sharing. Far better understood today are the important and complex politics of ABS, which have been the subject of an extensive and growing literature, and a range of meetings and workshops. As long as the activities that have sparked a vigorous policy and ethical debate remain vague to policy-makers, however, the more difficult it will be to draft and implement ABS measures. This book will address these gaps in understanding in order to support a more collaborative and effective ABS policy process.