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65 Sagari R Ramdas
construct. Simultaneously they are forging
the path forward for access and benefits
from genetic diversity and associated
knowledge based on their worldviews. This
is contingent upon them securing unconditional rights to their territories and
resources – land, forests, water, biodiversity, knowledge, customary laws and
governance systems.
Since Indian ABS legislation does not
require or support PIC or community
protocols, communities are testing the
effectiveness of existing domestic legislation designed to protect their rights to their
territories and resources. This legislation
also supports communities’ self-rule and
local systems of governance, helping to
revitalise and democratise the decisionmaking roles of traditional village councils,
and strengthening their legitimacy in the
eyes of outsiders.
Community actions (such as community mapping by the Adivasi and
community platforms to design conservation strategies by the pastoralists) help
communities reconnect to their territories,
knowledge systems and resources. They
have encouraged the application of tradi-
tional knowledge in all spheres of life to
rebuild the resilience and well-being of the
community– from building homes, to revitalising traditional irrigation, cultivating
food crops, conserving traditional seeds,
rearing local animal breeds and healing.
They have also enabled the transfer of
knowledge, and the use of and ‘benefit’
from this, from the elders to the youth.
Community organisation has also encouraged communities to actively engage with
questions concerning governance of
resources, biodiversity and knowledge,
rather than being passive recipients of policies and laws, and has enabled them to
secure their customary rights where
national laws support these.
Although the experiences described
here do not involve the use of community
protocols, there are many common
elements – reviving traditional knowledge,
exploring national/international laws to
support rights, and strengthening customary laws and decision-making institutions.
I hope I have shown how these interlinked
processes can help communities to secure
their livelihoods and their rights to the
resources on which they depend.
CONTACT DETAILS
Dr Sagari R. Ramdas
Director
Anthra
B-228/229 Sainikpuri
Secunderabad-500094
Andhra Pradesh
India
Email: sagari.ramdas@gmail.com
REFERENCES
Anthra (2009) Conservation of the Deccani sheep breed: a community
initiative on biodiversity management. Green Foundation:
Bangalore, India.
Kalpavriksh, GRAIN and PANOS South Asia (2010) A summary report of
a post-CBD/COP10 assessment of access and benefit-sharing (ABS).
M.L.K Murty and G.D. Sontheimer (2004) ‘Prehistoric background to
pastoralism in the Southern Deccan in the light of oral traditions and
cults of some pastoral communities.’ In (eds): H. Bruckner, A.
Feldhaus and A. Malik (2004) Essays on religion, literature and law.
Manohar Publishers: Delhi.
Ramdas, S.R. (2009) Women, forest spaces and the law: transgressing
the boundaries. Economic and political weekly. 31st October 2009.
XLIV No 44.