9 research outputs found
Banishing the biopirates : a new approach to protecting traditional knowledge
The livelihoods of indigenous peoples and the conservation of biodiversity worldwide depend on conserving and protecting traditional knowledge of the use and functioning of biological and natural resources. This traditional knowledge (TK) has helped develop the millions of farmersâ food crop varieties in use today, as well as a wealth of traditional medicines and techniques for sustainable agriculture and resource use. Yet this knowledge is rapidly disappearing. It is under increasing threat from both intellectual property regimes and economic globalisation processes which undermine traditional rural livelihoods. This loss is occurring despite the fact that the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) requires member countries to respect, preserve and maintain traditional knowledge, innovations and practices and encourage the fair and equitable sharing of benefits from their use. International and national policies have so far proved inadequate to protect traditional knowledge. The dominant paradigms of access and benefit-sharing and intellectual property rights fail to adequately protect TK because they reflect western norms and laws, and focus narrowly on protecting intellectual rights. This paper describes how indigenous and farmersâ organisations are calling for more holistic approaches to protecting their rights to TK, bio-genetic resources, territories, culture and customary laws. These components of indigenous knowledge systems and heritage cannot be separated. A new framework for protecting TK, known as collective bio-cultural heritage, addresses biodiversity and culture together, rather than separating them; recognises collective as opposed to individual rights; and places them in the framework of âheritageâ as opposed to âpropertyâ. This approach means: Acknowledging that a stateâs sovereign right over natural resources (as recognised by the CBD) is conditioned by indigenous and local communitiesâ customary rights over their traditional resources and territories. These rights must also be recognised. Strengthening community natural resource management, customary laws and institutions, and collective land tenure as the basis for local control over traditional knowledge and resources. For example, the establishment of Indigenous managed Bio-cultural Heritage Areas can enhance rights over TK, traditional livelihoods and biodiversity conservation. Facilitating access by communities, not just scientists and companies, to genetic resources held ex situ. With genetic erosion caused by modern agriculture, development etc, many communities need access to this material if they are to restore diversity to cope with phenomena such as climate change
Vulvar sebaceous hyperplasia â a problematic dermatosis of the vulva
Sebaceous glandular hyperplasia (SGH) is a benign form of skin pathology, occurring in approximately one percent of the population. Risk factors for the SGH include advanced age, male sex, exposure to UV radiation and immunosuppression. The pathogenesis of SGH involves hormonal changes, is also regulated by insulin levels, thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) and cortisol. SGH manifests itself as solitary or multiple light-yellow lumps, 2â3 mm big, with a smooth surface and a central umbilical depression. The vulvar localization of lesions is extremely rare and presents with a polymorphous clinical picture, posing a major diagnostic problem. A 40-year-old patient presented to the clinic due to vulvar skin lesions, periodically with the swelling of the labia and itching, with the symptoms deteriorating for approximately two years. The patient has been consulted by several doctors; however, the diagnosis has not been established. She did not receive adequate treatment either. On physical examination, attention was drawn to the overgrown labia minora â especially on the right side â with a network of abnormal vessels and numerous small papular lesions. SGH was diagnosed, based on the samples collected from the vulva. The patient was recommended isotretinoin therapy and referred to a dermatologist for a consultation. The presented case of vulvar SGH is interesting and rare. It is a diagnostic challenge with no established treatment standards. Nonetheless, SGH should be considered in the differential diagnosis of vulvar skin lesions. The comprehensive and interdisciplinary care is needed to help patients struggling with this insidious condition
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An agenda for ethics and justice in adaptation to climate change
As experts predict that at least some irreversible climate change will occur with potentially disastrous effects on the lives and well-being of vulnerable communities around the world, it is paramount to ensure that these communities are resilient and have adaptive capacity to withstand the consequences. Adaptation and resilience planning present several ethical issues that need to be resolved if we are to achieve successful adaptation and resilience to climate change, taking into consideration vulnerabilities and inequalities in terms of power, income, gender, age, sexuality, race, culture, religion, and spatiality. Sustainable adaptation and resilience planning that addresses these ethical issues requires interdisciplinary dialogues between the natural sciences, social sciences, and philosophy, in order to integrate empirical insights on socioeconomic inequality and climate vulnerability with ethical analysis of the underlying causes and consequences of injustice in adaptation and resilience. In this paper, we set out an interdisciplinary research agenda for the inclusion of ethics and justice theories in adaptation and resilience planning, particularly into the Sixth Assessment Report of the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC AR6). We present six core discussions that we believe should be an integral part of these interdisciplinary dialogues on adaptation and resilience as part of IPCC AR6, especially Chapters 2 (âTerrestial and freshwater ecosystems and their servicesâ), 6 (âCities, settlements and key infrastructureâ), 7 (âHealth, wellbeing and the changing structure of communitiesâ), 8 (âPoverty, livelihoods and sustainable developmentâ), 16 âKey risks across sectors and regionsâ), 17 (âDecision-making options for managing riskâ), and 18 (âClimate resilient development pathwaysâ).: (i) Where does âjusticeâ feature in resilience and adaptation planning and what does it require in that regard?; (ii) How can it be ensured that adaptation and resilience strategies protect and take into consideration and represent the interest of the most vulnerable women and men, and communities?; (iii) How can different forms of knowledge be integrated within adaptation and resilience planning?; (iv) What trade-offs need to be made when focusing on resilience and adaptation and how can they be resolved?; (v) What roles and responsibilities do different actors have to build resilience and achieve adaptation?; (vi) Finally, what does the focus on ethics imply for the practice of adaptation and resilience planning
Indigenous food systems, biocultural heritage and the SDGs: challenges, interdisciplinary research gaps and empowering methodologies.
Indigenous Peoplesâ food systems have a critical role to play in addressing the 2030 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) but face many challenges and have so far received little attention from researchers and policymakers. This virtual workshop, consisting of four webinars held in October 2020, brought together several Indigenous representatives, academics, NGOs and UN agencies to explore the issue further and promote new dialogue on Indigenous food systems
Indigenous Peoplesâ Food Systems and Biocultural Heritage: Addressing Indigenous Priorities Using Decolonial and Interdisciplinary Research Approaches.
The food systems and territories of Indigenous Peoples sustain much of the worldâs biodiversity, cultivated and wild, through agroecological practices rooted in Indigenous cosmovision and cultural and spiritual values. These food systems have a critical role to play in sustainability transformations but are widely threatened and have received limited research attention. This paper presents the results of four virtual workshops with Indigenous Peoples: a global workshop and local workshops with communities in coastal Kenya, northeast India and southwest China. Indigenous participants highlighted the role of their food systems in resilience to climate change, nutrition, sustainability and resilience to pandemics, and threats from agriculture, development and conservation policies. They called for research on the rapid loss of Indigenous knowledge; Indigenous Peoplesâ land rights and food sovereignty; and the impacts of industrial agriculture on Indigenous food systems, stressing the need for decolonial approaches to revitalise Indigenous knowledge. The paper presents a decolonial and interdisciplinary framework for action-research on Indigenous food systems past and present, from farm to plate, drawing on the virtual workshops, Andean decolonising methods and historical approaches. It concludes that decolonising action-research, led by Indigenous Peoples, is urgently needed to reverse the rapid loss of food-related biocultural heritage
Indigenous Peoples’ Food Systems and Biocultural Heritage: Addressing Indigenous Priorities Using Decolonial and Interdisciplinary Research Approaches
The food systems and territories of Indigenous Peoples sustain much of the world’s biodiversity, cultivated and wild, through agroecological practices rooted in Indigenous cosmovision and cultural and spiritual values. These food systems have a critical role to play in sustainability transformations but are widely threatened and have received limited research attention. This paper presents the results of four virtual workshops with Indigenous Peoples: a global workshop and local workshops with communities in coastal Kenya, northeast India and southwest China. Indigenous participants highlighted the role of their food systems in resilience to climate change, nutrition, sustainability and resilience to pandemics, and threats from agriculture, development and conservation policies. They called for research on the rapid loss of Indigenous knowledge; Indigenous Peoples’ land rights and food sovereignty; and the impacts of industrial agriculture on Indigenous food systems, stressing the need for decolonial approaches to revitalise Indigenous knowledge. The paper presents a decolonial and interdisciplinary framework for action-research on Indigenous food systems past and present, from farm to plate, drawing on the virtual workshops, Andean decolonising methods and historical approaches. It concludes that decolonising action-research, led by Indigenous Peoples, is urgently needed to reverse the rapid loss of food-related biocultural heritage