As such, it is essential to identify, in advance, whether the involved communities already have mechanisms for
benefit-sharing that are tailored to the objective of the project or agreement. Additionally, the experiences of
the ICBG in Peru and Mexico showed that communities must agree among themselves, and according to their
customary norms, as to how they will distribute possible benefits, what kind of institutional capacity they will
need, what their expectations are, and what are the advantages and disadvantages of the potential project.
In this way, the communities will be in a better position to negotiate and to avoid possible intra-group conflict
and the dissolution of solidarity that has typically resulted from such projects.
17
Community Biocultural Protocols