Traditional Knowledge Holders collaborate with Industry to form common ground in Biodiversity

Descendants of indigenous peoples, the San and the Khoikhoi, as original custodians of South Africa's biodiversity-rich eco-regions, today share this responsibility with the nations, tribes and peoples of South Africa. From May 28 – 30, the ABS Compliant Bio-trade in South(ern) Africa (ABioSA) hosted a workshop to facilitate dialogue between recognised traditional knowledge holders of key bio-traded plants, and their industry peers. San, Khoi and amaXhosa leader representatives travelled from the Northern, Western and Eastern Cape Provinces, as well as the Free State to attend. The aim of the workshop was to facilitate dialogue, foster trust and goodwill, identify shared ideals and to address issues slowing biotrade sector development for holistic beneficiation.

South Africa has been a pioneer in implementing legal mechanisms for Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) under the Nagoya Protocol. In 2017, South Africa formally recognised the San and Khoi as the original knowledge-holders of rooibos, leading to beneficiation to local communities from industry trade the first ABS agreement in rooibos was reached in 2019, followed by buchu negotiations in 2023, with honeybush discussions now underway.

The focus of the two-day workshop was on the wider biotrade sector. Participants were invited to listen to and learn from one another in order to foster trust through respectful engagement between Traditional Knowledge-holders and industry peers. The workshop was crafted to explore common ground and interests in the biodiversity economy and look for synergies. To look at shared challenges and opportunities with a view to find ways to unblock bottlenecks, reduce transaction times and associated costs and, ultimately, to give impetus to the biodiversity economy in South Africa.

The workshop builds on the outcomes of a previous biotrade sector stakeholder Dialogue held in Johannesburg in December 2024 which was focused on engaging on biotrade sector development plans supported by ABioSA. At the initial meeting, it was agreed that trust and transparency are essential for meaningful cross-sector partnerships. While legal mechanisms initiate benefit-sharing, true impact lies in embracing the spirit of the law—reparative justice, recognition of knowledge-holders, and inclusive, responsible industry practices.

Both dialogues were clarion calls for awareness-raising amongst all parties involved in South Africa’s biotrade sectors. On the one hand, local communities should be aware of the international policies and market imperatives that drive business locally. On the other hand, industry partners remain unaware of the livelihood constraints and aspirational intentions of local communities whose heritage and geographies are intertwined with the plants that undergird the industries.

After the second dialogue, iterative processes that build on one another advance common cause. Participants expressed satisfaction that a rare opportunity had been created for active listening from very different, sometimes divergent, perspectives. While negotiations are necessary, the nature of legally binding agreements render them fraught with tension and uncertainty. Processes like this ABioSA supported dialogue provides context to negotiators’ positions, deepening understanding. Ongoing efforts to build trust and consideration, strengthen good business and uphold the rights, recognition, and aspirations of biodiversity’s generational custodians.

___________________________________________________________________________________

About ABioSA: The ABioSA project is funded by the Swiss State Secretariat for Economic Affairs (SECO) and implemented by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, under the umbrella of the Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) Capacity Development Initiative, a multi-donor funded programme. ABioSA is hosted within the GIZ Centre for Cooperation with the Private Sector (CCPS), which hosts four regional/global programmes that support sustainable development for employment, economic growth and natural resources. The project is implemented in close partnership with the Department of Forestry, Fisheries and the Environment (DFFE), which leads the South African government’s approach to biotrade. For further information please see https://www.abs-biotrade.info/

Author: Rhoda Malgas

Facilitation team: Rhoda Malgas (Nelson Mandela University), Chimwemwe Tembo (Sandra Kruger and Associates), Ana Sampson (Parceval), Carryn Plaatjies (Nelson Mandela University).