Call for Submissions: Showcasing sustainable practices of bioprospecting for green livelihoods

Photo: Jitendra Raj Bajracharya/ICIMOD.

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The Himalayan Resilience Enabling Action Programme (HI-REAP) under the International Centre for Integrated Mountain Development (ICIMOD) is seeking contributions from experts and development practitioners for a compendium of case studies highlighting bioprospecting as a sustainable nature-based solution (NbS).

This compendium aims to have a comprehensive collection of sustainable bioprospecting practices that serve as viable livelihood options for the mountain communities in the Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region. It will also examine various aspects of commercialising products derived from bioresources, including fair benefit sharing, engaging local and Indigenous communities, and addressing environmental, social, economic, and gender-related challenges.

We seek

We invite institutions to nominate experts or encourage experts to self-nominate to contribute their work in the form of a case study. We are specifically seeking exemplary bioprospecting approaches, projects, and start-ups that empower local and Indigenous communities, contribute to transforming current resource utilisation systems, and promote sustainability.

We are looking for practices that, once proven effective, can be adapted to benefit other regions, countries, and contexts, thereby empowering more communities.

Case studies should focus on the following themes:

1. Bioprospecting and NbS: Exploration of bioprospecting as an NbS, assessing the business environment, regional good practices, and country-specific opportunities.
2. Innovation and biodiversity: Case studies showcasing innovative approaches in bioprospecting that leverage rich biodiversity for discovering bioactive compounds, genetic materials, and traditional knowledge, driving innovation in pharmaceuticals, biotechnology, and agriculture.
3. Sustainable economic development: Case studies demonstrating how bioprospecting can foster sustainable economic growth, creating jobs, generating revenue, and enhancing local livelihoods through bio-based industries.
4. International partnerships and collaboration: Exploration of global partnerships and collaborations in bioprospecting, highlighting successful models of technology transfer, capacity building, and market access.
5. Community engagement and capacity building: Case studies illustrating community involvement in bioprospecting initiatives, including capacity building and access and benefit-sharing mechanisms.
6. Entrepreneurship and value chain development: Case studies showcasing entrepreneurial initiatives that harness the potential of bioprospecting. Value chain development in bioprospecting, from sustainable harvesting to the development of value-added products like pharmaceuticals, nutraceuticals, beverages, and agriculture.

Criteria

To be selected, the initiatives must:

• Consider key dimensions of NbS to address societal challenges, while simultaneously addressing biodiversity and climate objectives. It must identify core societal challenge the bioprospecting-based business is trying to address and how local communities including marginalized group, women and youth are engaged. It needs to elaborate on sustainable harvesting and management of key biological resources being commercialized.
• Ensure the equitable sharing of benefits arising from the research and commercial utilisation of genetic resources and associated traditional knowledge with the resource custodians. (Refer to The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the Convention on Biological Diversity.
• Have a proven track record of effective implementation and impact over a sufficient period.
• Demonstrate measurable improvements or outcomes.
• Have the potential to be scaled up or replicated in other regions or contexts.

Submission
Please submit your application here by 11:59 PM NST, Tuesday, 30 July 2024.

What happens to your contribution?

Appropriate contributions highlighting sustainable bioprospecting practices in various sectors will be shortlisted. Each case study will be reviewed by a panel of experts. Finalised case studies will be published, and all contributors will be acknowledged as authors.

This knowledge co-production is part of the HI-REAP programme supported by the UK’s Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO). HI-REAP focuses on fostering regional cooperation and collaboration for policy influence and investment towards scaling of NbS and Actions for Clean Air (AfCA).

Background

What is bioprospecting?

Bioprospecting is the systematic and organised search for useful products derived from bioresources that can be developed for commercialisation. It recognises traditional and Indigenous knowledge and explores opportunities for developing commercially valuable genetic and biochemical resources.

Bioprospecting holds potential as a nature-based livelihood option, especially for communities in high-altitude areas, given the rich biodiversity and abundance of high-value niche products such as medicinal and aromatic plants in these regions.

Recognised as an NbS, bioprospecting leverages the value of biological resources responsibly engaging local communities and Indigenous People to address their livelihoods concerns while generating environmental, climate and sustainable development co-benefits. Bioprospecting ensures that value chain are GESI responsive, and backed by strong policy and governance frameworks. There is ample prospect for integration of traditional knowledge and equitable benefit sharing mechanisms among the stakeholders.

Bioprospecting within ICIMOD

ICIMOD aims to leverage bioprospecting as an NbS based on a sustainable approach bringing economic and social benefits to mountain communities and environmental benefits (biodiversity and climate resilience) for ecosystems through sustainable utilisation of their genetic resources in pharmaceutical and biochemical industries, and in the production of a wide array of commercially viable products. The HI-REAP programme supported by the UK’s FCDO under its Climate Action for Resilient Asia (CARA) Initiative, focuses on NbS to bolster climate resilience in the Himalayan region. Within this programme, bioprospecting is a pivotal NbS, dedicated to fostering sustainable development and resilience in mountain communities – innovating green businesses while strengthening the natural resources base for ecosystem resilience.

For queries, please contact:

Sunayana Basnet (Sunayana.basnet@icimod.org)