ABSTRACT
This chapter deals with some opening observations about policy and practice in access and benefit-sharing, before turning to markets for natural products, the extent of commercial demand for access to genetic resources and traditional knowledge, and the nature of benefit-sharing arrangements. It addresses the role of intermediary institutions, companies’ views of the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD), and corporate and institutional policies developed in response to the CBD and access legislation. Another major factor that suggests demand for access to ‘new’ genetic resources may decline in the future is the increasing use of materials from existing, ex situ collections. Many of the individuals interviewed in our survey were of the firm belief that trends in science and technology are creating opportunities for the further exploration of genetic resources, which will inevitably lead to higher demand for access. Benefit-sharing varies dramatically across and within sectors, and recent trends respond in varying degrees to international policy developments such as the CBD.
