ABSTRACT
We have spent a considerable portion of this book examining the issue of access to aquatic genetic resources and the sharing of benefits derived from their use. The question of access and benefit sharing has been front and centre in international discussions about the trade in biological resources ever since the CBD acknowledged national sovereignty over biological diversity in 1992. Community rights have entered into the debate insofar as the CBD recognizes the importance of compensating communities for the contribution their traditional knowledge and practices may make to both the use of genetic resources and conservation of biological diversity.
