ABS in Africa: realities, opportunities, challenges and constraints

1. ABS in Africa:realities, opportunities, challenges and constraints ABS Business Dialogue hosted byABS Capacity Development Initiative for Africa Kwalata Lodge, 7-9 October 2009 Pierre du Plessis CRIAA SA-DC Namibia

2. Cradle of humankind • ~900 million people • ~3%/a population growth • ~3%/a deforestation rate • ~70% of livelihoods depend on BD • World’s highest poverty rates • Rapid urbanisation, rural linkages persist • Rising material expectations/aspirations • Conservation crises in many areas

3. The Big Five plus… • World’s 2nd largest rainforest • World’s oldest deserts • Extreme environments, weird metabolism • Cape floral kingdom (high speciation) • Two centres of domestication • Humans and BD co-evolved • High levels of valuable TK • Persistence of traditional lifestyles

4. Scrambled Africa • Colonialism and slave trade • Berlin Conference: arbitrary borders cutting through ecosystems and peoples • Rush to Independence: weak institutions • OAU accepts colonial borders to avert war • Rise of multi-ethnic nation states • “Strong men needed – apply here” • Opportunities for corruption (Cold War)

5. Get those minerals out • Physical infrastructure designed for resource extraction (railroads to ports) • Raw materials out, trade goods in – little local value-adding • Captive markets for colonial products • Weak internal linkages and trade • Foreign management, local labour • Neo-colonial “divide and rule”

6. Development priorities • Economic growth and poverty alleviation: agriculture, mining, logging, fishing • Some local benefaction of raw materials, but manufacturing still at basic level • Tourism growing rapidly – conservation? • Human and financial resources allocated to existing sectors with growth potential • Obstacles to innovation

7. ABS in Africa • Lots of historic access, very little benefit • Hard to make economic case at home because of low impact • Other legislative and political priorities • Very few countries have ABS laws • Low capacity to police compliance • Suspicion and mistrust • Extraction pays better than conservation

8. On the bright side… • Rise of modern communications • More technical skills and capacity • Continental cooperation agenda • Globalised economy, international trade • Technology cheaper and more accessible • Proof that benefit-sharing creates positive incentives for conservation • Global sustainable development agenda

9. African Renaissance? • CBD offered grand global bargain: “Conserve your biodiversity and we will provide funding, technology and benefit-sharing for growing it into a sustainable ‘green’ economy” • Promises broken, bio-piracy still reigns • Can Africa develop DIY ‘green economy’? • IR on ABS potentiates partnerships

10. Benefits ($ and non-$) • “Raw” resource:- TK- BD mgmt- Supply chain Successful product:- Supply/demand- Time scale (sector)- Tech. needed- “Process” IP Effort/cost (relative to sector economics)

11. Traditional uses Benefit-sharing Benefits ($ and non-$) • “Raw” resource:- TK- BD mgmt- Supply chain Successful product:- Supply/demand- Time scale (sector)- Tech. needed- “Process” IP RISK!!! Conservation Effort/cost (relative to sector economics)

12. Lessons • Success/failure ratio is key, but is also market driven (i.e. not 100% controlled) • Simple but sound ABS measures can help to reduce costs and risks:= more R&D= better chance of success= more benefits to share • “Simple” ABS: One-stop, fast-track, easy to enforce, preferably exclusive and always CONFIDENTIAL • Access and Benefit-Sharing is essential but not sufficient; Risk-Sharing is required