Non-commercial biodiversity research and benefit sharing – general perspectives and challenges

1. Non-commercial biodiversity research and benefit sharing – general perspectives and challenges Christoph L. Häuser - Chair, GTI Coordination Mechanism, and GTI National Focal Point, Germany - State Museum for Natural History, Stuttgart (SMNS) Email: haeuser.smns@naturkundemuseum-bw.de

2. taxonomy = an example for non-commercial, basic / „academic“ biodiversity research; n.b.: many/most perspectives and statements also valid for other disciplines and fields of basic biodiversity research taxonomists‘ work and perspectives challenges for taxonomy + ABS regime opportunities for taxonomy + ABS regime Outline

3. description of organisms (catalogues, checklists, biodiversity inventories, identifcation tools; „alpha-taxonomy“) classification of organisms (classification systems, phylogenetic trees, etc.) characterization and interpretation of biodiversity (comparisons & assessments of faunas & floras, evolutionary history, etc.) Taxonomicresearch

4. daily hands on biological materials (“specimens”), including frequent manipulation, transfer, and exchange collaborative effort, constantly comparing and sharing materials and data between different institutions and partners international dimension, due to focus on organisms / taxa and scientific questions, but not (political) geography ... Taxonomicwork

5. transparent and detailed documentation of materials used & methods applied (for scientific credibility = repeatability; standards for exact documentation, especially of origin) ultimate goal: publication of results, in the public domain, ideally with unrestricted, free & open access to all data & materials Taxonomicwork processes

6. non-commercial research: no profit intented, no gains, no financial benefits [n.b.: many non-professional taxonomists - unpaid!]; biodiversity as a common (public) good: material/substrate of research (no ownership): „specimens“, but not biological resources (!!) international, collaborative effort, beyond „national“ limits / horizons:“ ... organisms (& taxonomists) don’t respect political boundaries” The taxonomist‘sperspective

7. Taxonomy and ABS: challenges • difficulty to accept notion of (national) “ownership” for biodiversity • cannot accommodate difficult access regulations for „specimens“ - neither nationally nor internationally • cannot easily cover additional costs for access fees/permits [esp. non-professional taxonomists!] • usually cannot provide financial benefits • depends on free access and frequent sharing of data („specimens“) and results (= basic science)!

8. Taxonomy and ABS: opportunities • free sharing of - non-financial – benefits (scientific results, knowledge); • offers best practices for transparent procedures and protocols for handling biological materials and information • long established, international accepted standards for detailed documentation of „origin“ of biological materials • provides universal reference framework for all kinds of organisms („classifications“)

9. Possible differentiation of scientific materials / specimens and biological / genetic resources (sensu ABS): declared non-commercial intent (pure research interest, public domain) no-commercial benefits free sharing of derived products (scientific data/results) living vs. non-living materials [?] ABS + basic research – some suggestions for a way forward

10. Increasing biodiversity loss - but shortage of comprehensive (scientific) information: unknown dimensions of species / taxa still to be discovered (5 to >100 mio spp.??) no global biodiversity catalogue / register at hand (1,9 mio spp known, ca 1,1 mio spp catalogued)! no complete national fauna or flora available for many / most countries! no complete biodiversity inventory available yet for any protected area in the World !!! Taxonomy + the CBD: the real challenges …!!

11. Thanks to funding organisations,and very much for your attention! Contact information: Dr Christoph L. Häuser - Chair, GTI Coordination Mechanism - State Museum for Natural History, Stuttgart (SMNS) email: chaeuser@gmx.de , haeuser.smns@naturkundemuseum-bw.de GTI NFP Website: www.gti-kontaktstelle.de