How big companies cash in on indigenous knowledge and biological resources | DW Documentary

Summary

The script highlights the struggles of the Pai Tavytera, an indigenous community in Paraguay, whose traditional knowledge of stevia is being exploited by global industries without compensation. The community, led by Anastasia Valiente and Luis Arce, fights to reclaim their ancestral land and protect their heritage. Despite the global popularity of stevia as a sweetener, its origins remain largely unrecognized by those profiting from its use. The script underscores the importance of biopiracy awareness, access and benefit-sharing principles, and the fight for indigenous rights, with hopes for future compensation and land restoration.

Takeaways

• 😀 Indigenous people, like Anastasia Valiente from the Pai Tavytera in Paraguay, have deep traditional knowledge about medicinal plants, including stevia, which has been appropriated by the global industry without proper compensation.
• 😀 Stevia, once native to Paraguay, has largely disappeared from the wild, and its commercial use is now dominated by large corporations, leaving indigenous communities without access or financial benefit.
• 😀 The increasing global demand for stevia as a sugar substitute has led to biopiracy, where indigenous knowledge is taken without consent and profits are made elsewhere, rather than benefiting the original stewards of the plants.
• 😀 The Pai Tavytera people are fighting to preserve their traditional knowledge of stevia and other plants, aiming to reclaim control over their natural resources and secure compensation from the industries profiting from their heritage.
• 😀 Biopiracy is a widespread issue, affecting many countries with rich biodiversity, particularly in the southern hemisphere, where resources are often exploited without benefit-sharing agreements for the indigenous communities.
• 😀 The stevia industry has seen rapid growth due to its health benefits, but the profits have not been shared with the original knowledge holders, such as the Pai Tavytera in Paraguay.
• 😀 The Nagoya Protocol, introduced in 2014, aims to establish fair compensation and benefit-sharing for the use of genetic resources, but its implementation remains inconsistent and often favors industrialized nations over the countries providing these resources.
• 😀 Despite some international agreements and protocols, companies often avoid compensation or find loopholes in the legal frameworks, leaving indigenous communities with minimal benefits.
• 😀 Some companies, like Weleda, are adopting benefit-sharing practices by compensating communities for the knowledge and resources they use, but this approach is still the exception rather than the norm.
• 😀 The fight for compensation for indigenous knowledge and resources is ongoing, with the Pai Tavytera people in Paraguay and the Khoisan people in South Africa seeking restitution for the loss of their traditional knowledge and land, with mixed results.

Q & A

What is the significance of stevia in the context of the Pai Tavytera people?

Stevia is a plant that the Pai Tavytera people have traditionally used for its sweet-tasting leaves, which they employed both as a food additive and in rituals. The plant is central to their culture and their knowledge about it has been appropriated by outside corporations without their consent.

Why is stevia considered a case of biopiracy?

Stevia is considered biopiracy because its genetic resources and the traditional knowledge of its uses were taken from the Pai Tavytera people without their consent, and its commercial benefits are not shared with them.

What is the economic impact of stevia on the global market?

The global market for stevia-based sweeteners is worth around $500 million, with predictions of nearly doubling by 2028. This growing demand has led to the exploitation of the plant's sweetening properties, yet the Pai Tavytera people, who originally knew of stevia's benefits, are not benefiting from this market growth.

How does biopiracy affect indigenous people like the Pai Tavytera?

Biopiracy deprives indigenous communities, like the Pai Tavytera, of both financial benefits and control over their traditional knowledge. In the case of stevia, outside companies profit from the plant without providing compensation to the people who originally discovered and used it.

What role does the Pai Tavytera community play in preserving medicinal plant knowledge?

The Pai Tavytera community, especially the women, plays a crucial role in preserving and passing down the knowledge of medicinal plants, including the properties and uses of local herbs like stevia, which have been used for generations.

What challenges are faced by the Pai Tavytera people in protecting their land?

The Pai Tavytera face significant threats from expanding agricultural industries, including cattle ranches and monocultures, which have encroached on their traditional lands. They also face intimidation and even violence from farm workers, making it difficult to access resources that once belonged to them.

What steps are being taken to address the issue of biopiracy in Paraguay?

The Pai Tavytera, alongside activists, are working to claim compensation, restore their land, and preserve stevia in the areas where it still grows wild. They are also attempting to bring their case to the international stevia industry, demanding acknowledgment of their intellectual property rights.

What is the Nagoya Protocol, and how does it relate to biopiracy?

The Nagoya Protocol is an international agreement that aims to prevent biopiracy by ensuring that countries and companies seeking to use genetic resources or associated traditional knowledge provide fair compensation. It requires a system of Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) to protect indigenous communities' rights.

What difficulties exist in implementing the Nagoya Protocol?

Despite the Nagoya Protocol, its implementation is hindered by differing interpretations between countries and industries. Some countries argue that the protocol only applies to new uses of genetic resources, which could limit the flow of compensation. This has resulted in slow progress in addressing biopiracy.

How did the Khoisan people in South Africa fight for compensation over rooibos, and how does it relate to the Pai Tavytera's struggle?

The Khoisan people in South Africa, like the Pai Tavytera, fought for compensation after their traditional knowledge of rooibos was appropriated by the commercial industry. They successfully negotiated a benefit-sharing agreement, with a portion of the rooibos industry's market value set aside for the Khoisan. This mirrors the Pai Tavytera's efforts to gain compensation for their traditional knowledge of stevia.