Research articles

Governing the management and use of pooled microbial genetic resources: Lessons from the global crop commons

Authors:

Michael Halewood
Email Michael Halewood

Abstract

The paper highlights lessons learned over the last thirty years establishing a governance structure for the global crop commons that are of relevance to current champions of the microbial commons. It argues that the political, legal and biophysical situation in which microbial genetic resources (and their users) are located today are similar to the situation of plant genetic resources in the mid-1990s, before the International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources was negotiated. Consequently, the paper suggests that it may be useful to look to the model of global network of ex situ plant genetic resources collections as a precedent to follow – even if only loosely – in developing an intergovernmentally endorsed legal substructure and governance framework for the microbial commons.

Keywords:

microbial genetic resources commons law International Treaty genebanks governance plant genetic resources In-Trust Agreements biodiversity collective action

Year: 2010
Volume: 4 Issue: 1
Page/Article: 404-436
DOI: 10.18352/ijc.152

Published on 21 Jan 2010

Peer Reviewed