Side Event
Understanding and Protecting Biocultural Heritage Innovations
Organizer
International Institute for Environment and Development
Date and Time
8 October 2013 18:15 - 19:45
Sui generis systems have tended to focus on protecting, preversing and promoting traditional knowledge, rather than innovations and practices. Traditional knowledge based innovations - or Biocultural Heritage innovations - are new ways of doing things (ie. practices) which are based on TK. To date the concept of innovations has been framed in the western economic context, but little work has been done to define biocultural innovations. This side event will present a working definition of "Biocultural Heritage Innovation" which has emerged from research in Peru, China, India and Kenya. It will present the emerging findings of that research on biocultural innovations, and consider the implications for sui generis systems to protect traditional knowledge innovations and practices. The event will be co-organised by IIED, ANDES (Peru) and the Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy (China).