Newsletter 2015.09 – The long-waited regulatory landmark on Biodiversity has been recently enacted by the Brazilian Government

The Convention on Biological Diversity, signed in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, back in 1992, set out that the genetic resources should no longer be considered as a heritage of the Humanity, but rather that each country should have sovereign to its own resources.

 

Brazil has signed the Convention in 1992, such International Treaty having been ratified in Brazil by means of Decree No. 2,519 of March 16, 1998. Nevertheless, it was only in 2000 that a legislation regulating the access to Brazilian genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge was enacted.

 

In compliance with the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), more specifically, in its articles 1, 8, letter “j”, 10 letter “c”, 15 and 16 items 3 and 4, previous Provisional Ruling 2,186-16/01 was enacted to regulate the access to and use of genetic heritage and associated traditional knowledge (TK) in the Brazilian territory, fair and equitable benefit sharing and access and transfer of technology for the conservation and use of biological diversity.