Science and Development Network
News, views and information about science, technology and the developing world
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Definitions
List of terms for Indigenious knowledge
Producing enough food for a rapidly growing population, and taking care of our planet are two of the world's biggest challenges.
B
Biopiracy
Activities relating to the access or use of genetic resources that contravene national regimes based on the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD). Also refers to (unauthorised) patenting of genetic resources. [Source: International Chamber of Commerce]
C
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)
Signed at the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro in 1992, the CBD asserts that natural resources belong to the sovereign state in which they exist, an assertion that some see as conflicting directly with commercial patent rights as defined under TRIPS (see below).
E
Endogenous development
Endogenous development is a development strategy that uses the knowledge, belief systems and resources of a local community to address local needs. An essential element of such a strategy is the broad participation of the local population in initiating, planning, implementing and monitoring the process of development. [Source: Zurich University]
Ethnobotany
The aim of ethnobotany is to study how and why people use and conceptualise plants in their local environments. The discipline addresses how and in what ways people use nature, and how and in what ways people view nature. As a field of research and study, ethnobotany is an interdisciplinary, holistice approach that includes botany, anthropology, history, and chemistry.
F
Folk knowledge
Refering to peoples' scientific, popular or cultural wisdom; the practical common sense, lens through which people understand and interpret the world on a daily basis.
I
Indigenous knowledge (IK)
Indigenous knowledge (also referred to as traditional or local knowledge) is the knowledge that is unique to a given culture or society. It is the basis for local level decision-making in agriculture, health care, food preparation, education, natural resource management, and a host of other activities in rural communities. Indigenous information systems are based on experience, often tested over centuries of use, adapted to local culture and environment, dynamic and changing. IK is an important part of the lives of the poor: inherent in food security, human and animal health, education and natural resource management.
Indigenous knowledge systems
Indigenous knowledge systems refer to the complex set of knowledge and technologies existing and developed around specific conditions of populations and communities indigenous to a particular area. [Source: NRF, South Africa]
Intellectual Property Rights (IPR)
Intellectual property rights is a generic term covering patents, copyrights and trademarks. Recent additions to the category of intellectual property include industrial design and integrated circuit topography (the term used to describe the three-dimensional configuration of electronic circuits).
K
Knowledge management
Knowledge management is a collection of processes that govern the discovery and creation, dissemination, and utilisation of knowledge.
N
Non-formal knowledge
Knowledge developed outside formal education systems (characterised by, for example, school grades or specific documentation). Non-formal knowledge is often passed on orally from generation to generation.
P
Patent
A legal certificate that gives an inventor exclusive rights to prevent others from producing, using, selling, or importing the invention for a limited period (usually 20 years). A patent application must satisfy an examiner that the invention is novel, useful, and involves an inventive step. Patents can be bought, sold, or licensed.
S
Sui generis
A Latin term that literally means "of its own kind of class". Often discussed in relation to the TRIPS Agreement, but also within the context of enforcing the rights of local communities and with regard to other international treaties such as the Convention on Biological Diversity. In theory, the "sui generis" system provides developing countries with an opportunity to develop their own national systems of intellectual property to protect their biological resources, traditional knowledge and cultural belief heritage.
T
Trade-related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS)
The Agreement on Trade-related Aspect of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) - one of the main results of the Uruguay Rounds of the General Agreement on Tariffs of Trade, concluded in 1994 - is now the key international agreement promoting the harmonisation of national intellectual property rights (IPR) systems. TRIPS is intended to introduce new rules and disciplines for global trade concerning (1) the provision of adequate standards and principles concerning the availability, scope and use of trade-related intellectual property rights, (2) effective and appropriate means for the enforcement of trade-related intellectual property rights, and (3) effective and expeditious procedures for the multilateral prevention and settlement of disputes between governments.
Traditional ecological knowledge (TEK)
Traditional ecological knowledge describes those aspects of indigenous knowledge systems relating to the use, management and conservation of the environment and natural resources. TEK is a cumulative body of knowledge, practices, and beliefs, about the relationships of living beings (including humans) with one another and with their environment.
Traditional Knowledge (TK)
Traditional knowledge is a cumulative body of knowledge, know-how, practices and representations maintained and developed by peoples with long histories of interaction with their natural environment. TK provides the basis for local level decision-making about many fundamental aspects of day-to-day life. [Source: ICSU]
Traditional medicine
The term 'traditional medicine' refers to ways of protecting and restoring health that existed before the arrival of modern medicine. As the term implies, these approaches to health belong to the traditions of each country, and have been handed down from generation to generation. Traditional systems in general have had to meet the needs of the local communities for many centuries. China and India, for example, have developed very sophisticated systems such as acupuncture and ayurvedic medicine. In practice, the term 'traditional medicine' refers to the following components: acupuncture, traditional birth attendants, mental healers and herbal medicine. [Source: WHO]
Traditional resource rights (TRR)
Traditional resources include plants, animals, and other material objects that may have sacred, ceremonial, heritage, or aesthetic qualities. 'Property' for indigenous peoples and local communities frequently has intangible, spiritual manifestations and, although worthy of protection, can belong to no human being. The change in terminology from intellectual property rights (IPR) to TRR reflects an attempt to build on the concept of IPR protection and compensation, while recognising that traditional resources - both tangible and intangible - are also covered under a significant number of international agreements that can be used to form the basis for a sui generis system. [Source: University of Oxford]
