l Biocultural community protocols and ethical biotrade: exploring participatory approaches in Peru 167
Background
Work in Madre de Dios took place in mid2011, and included a series of workshops
held in July.5 The project aimed to determine how the concepts and methodologies
of BCPs could be adapted and used as a tool
to enhance the engagement of local actors
in ethical biotrade (Box 1).
Generally speaking, communities use
BCPs to affirm their rights over land,
resources and traditional knowledge. They
emerge from extensive internal reflection
processes that encourage the community to
consider their endogenous development
objectives in the context of customary,
national and international rights. The
specific process and outcome of the BCP is
adapted to the local situation.6
In Madre de Dios, BCPs were seen as a
way to support communities in advancing
their social, cultural and environmental
expectations of their commercial relationships – particularly with Candela Peru. This
included ensuring respect for the communities’ biocultural heritage and monitoring
progress towards ethical biotrade practices.
Candela Peru, as a member of UEBT, is
committed to working towards the ethical
biotrade standard.
Methods and processes
Preliminary steps
The process began by recruiting a local facilitator, who was suggested by the project
partners on the basis of her knowledge and
experience with the topics and actors
involved, and accepted by both AFIMAD
and Candela Peru as a neutral, trusted and
independent expert. The facilitator held
consultations with AFIMAD and Candela
Peru to determine interest in engaging in this
process. Candela Peru saw the dialogue as an
opportunity to improve their working relationship with AFIMAD. It also considered
the dialogue as an opportunity to explain its
own values and approaches to working with
Box 1: What is ethical biotrade?
Ethical biotrade refers to a set of business practices
that respect social, environmental and economic
criteria established by the ethical biotrade standard.
The standard is internationally recognised and based
on the objectives and principles of the Convention on
Biological Diversity (CBD). Through a series of
principles, criteria and indicators, it is a tool to
support members of UEBT in the ethical sourcing of
ingredients derived from biodiversity. It is also the
basis for independent audits that measure progress
towards ethical sourcing practices. The principles of
the ethical biotrade standard are:
• Conservation of biodiversity
• Sustainable use of biodiversity
• Fair and equitable sharing of benefits derived from
the use of biodiversity
• Socio-economic sustainability (productive, financial
and market management)
• Compliance with national and international
legislation
• Respect for the rights of actors involved in biotrade
activities
• Clarity about land tenure, right of use and access to
natural resources
Source: www.ethicalbiotrade.org
biodiversity and local communities, as
defined by its membership in UEBT. The
value of the process was initially less clear for
AFIMAD, but they agreed to participate due
to their interest in furthering their relationship with Candela Peru.
Following the consultations, the facilitator defined a procedure that would
accommodate two critical phases:
• an internal reflection process involving
representatives of AFIMAD and the
communities that integrate with the association; and
• a dialogue between AFIMAD and Candela
Peru.
Step one: internal reflection
The process of developing the AFIMAD
BCP was organised in two separate workshops that brought together representatives
– in most cases the presidents – from each
community. Each workshop lasted two to
three days.
5 Part of a joint project of UEBT and Natural Justice, funded by GIZ. See: www.giz.de/en/home.html
6 See www.naturaljustice.org and http://biocultural.iied.org.