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understanding the interdependence among its components, the tribals
have developed a symbiotic association with nature and natural
resources around, both in space and time. Understanding this knowledge
and integrating the same into the modern scientific paradigm could
profitably be utilized in bioprospecting for drugs and other forest-based
products, with concern for management and conservation of forest-based
genetic resources.
The
case study on the 'Kani' tribe indicates the path to follow in
the creation of value added products and sharing the benefits
equally with all the stakeholders. Random screening of plant materials
for new product of economic value could prove to be very expensive.
On the other hand, if one takes the traditional knowledge system-based
route, the chances of success are high.
It
is estimated that in random screening the chance of getting a
positive hit is one in 10,000, whereas the path of ethno-medicinal
value assigned by traditional societies, the chance for a positive
hit rate is ssuggested to be one in 1000, or even less.
The
successful hit rate that the author and his team got while screening
plants of the Western Ghats, was in the range of 10-12%.
This
means the money and time invested in screening can be reduced
significantly. Currently, there are some 160 plant-derived compounds
used in modern medicine, and 74% of these have been discovered
through ethnobiology-based follow-up research work. The pharmaceutical
firms and the researchers shared huge profits from the development
of such drugs, without the traditional forest-dwellers getting
any benefit. It is in this background that the benefit-sharing
model experimented by the author and his team is to be viewed
and assessed. With the revival of interest in natural products
the world over, the rich knowledge base of traditional communities
offers enormous opportunities for developing a range of value
added products - herbal drugs and refined pharmaceutical products,
pesticides, gums, resins and dyes, etc. Whilst doing so, it is
equally important to protect the intellectual property rights
of the traditional communities, who are the ultimate custodians
of this knowledge.
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