Building trust for sustainable access and benefit-sharing of biological control genetic resources: a CABI case study

CABI is a not-for-profit international organization with the mission of improving people's lives worldwide by solving problems in agriculture and the environment, while engendering trust and facilitating science. As an organisation CABI is both a provider and a user of biological control agents and regularly acting as an intermediary between provider and user countries. As a way of building trust between both sides, access and benefit sharing (ABS) policy and ABS best practices developed around the principles of the Nagoya protocol should be publicly accessible. CABI aims to facilitate compliance with national legislation on ABS through its best practices for the countries in which we work and those that we provide genetic resources. CABI adopted the position to share benefits whether the provider country is party to the Nagoya Protocol or not. We use a case study on the biological control of the coffee berry borer (Hypothenemus hampei (Ferrari)) to illustrate the implementation of ABS best practices for the overlap between biological control and ABS. In respect to Digital Sequence Information (DSI) associated with genetic resources CABI contributes to the ongoing global debate and evaluates how this may impact biocontrol research and delivery. The current view is that publishing sequence data is sharing descriptive information and thus delivers benefit-sharing from its generation. However, if DSI is used in a product placed on the market, there is justification for benefit sharing.

Automated summary

CABI is a non-profit international organization that aims to improve people's lives through addressing agriculture and environmental problems, while fostering trust and facilitating scientific research. As an intermediary, CABI provides and utilizes biological control agents and promotes access and benefit sharing based on the principles of the Nagoya Protocol. They also contribute to the ongoing global debate on Digital Sequence Information (DSI) associated with genetic resources and its impact on biocontrol research and delivery.