News & Events
Development of Ethical Protocols for Cross-Cultural Biodiversity Research and Benefit-Sharing with Indigenous Peoples
MU-CEL is pleased to announce that a project proposal for the development of ethical approaches and protocols for cross-cultural biodiversity research and benefit-sharing with Indigenous peoples has received the endorsement of the Vice-Chancellor and funding in the sum of $90,000. Congratulations to Chris Jones , CEL PhD candidate supervised by Donna Craig, whose vision led to the project and who jointly developed the grant proposal with Donna. This grant grows out of Chris’s PhD research and will be a step towards his longer term proposal of facilitating an international centre of excellence in Indigenous knowledge and biodiversity directed by Indigenous peoples and their needs. Professor Donna Craig and the Macquarie Centre for Environmental Law will lead the research and the grant will be jointly administered by MU-CEL and Warawara.
This project will review the wide range of national, international and Indigenous research guidelines, protocols, case studies and experiences to identify useful aspects and contexts of existing protocols and the gaps and urgent priorities that need to be addressed. This will allow development of a broad database as a resource that can be critiqued by Indigenous participants and their communities and non-indigenous experts and academics participating in the project.
Emphasis will be placed on research approaches and protocols that are applicable to biodiversity related research of potential economic benefit or commercial application. For the purposes of this proposed project, a focus will be on the area of bioprospecting using the existing Macquarie University research project An Ethnopharmacological Study of Medicinal Plants in New South Wales (Jamie, Kohen, Vemulpad).This study focuses on preserving traditional knowledge and providing information that can be used for Aboriginal cultural purposes, particularly in education, as well as for the wider scientific community. It also aimed at aiding the discovery of new medicinal agents, with the possibility of commercial opportunities.
A fundamental feature of this project is the central involvement of Indigenous communities in the formulation and authentication of the developing models of ethical protocols. This will be ensured through two workshops involving substantial Indigenous participation as well as visits to affected communities in NSW. The participation of the workshops will be drawn from representatives of Aboriginal communities in NSW involved in the Ethnopharmacological Study as well as a broader representation of Indigenous stakeholders and experts from around the country.
This project will draw together researchers from across at least 10 disciplines and departments throughout Macquarie University (Chemistry: Jamie; Biology: Beattie, Kohen; Law: Craig, Jeffery, Jones; Warawara: McDaniel, Widders, Hunter, Jones; Human Geography: Howitt; Politics and International Relations: Tatz; Sociology: Fine; Health & Chiropractic: Vemulpad; Environmental Studies Tilbury; Philosophy:Mackenzie) at Macquarie University as well as their linkages with national and international Indigenous and environmental organisations.
The participation in the project will be enhanced by the forthcoming timely international conference on Indigenous Knowledge and Bioprospecting (Co-hosted by the Centre for Environmental Law, Warawara, the Department of Biology and the Association for Baha'i Studies at Macquarie University.) Successful funding of this project will provide a platform to research grant applications (ARC Discovery, ARC Linkage) in 2005, a post-graduate unit on Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity, and assist in the establishment of an International Centre of Excellence to be developed by Macquarie University (on Indigenous Knowledge and Biodiversity) in 2005-2006. An International Journal in the same area will be initiated mid-2004.