The objective of this technical DSI webinar has been to make everyone aware of how key DSI issues are relevant for and affect IPLCs and TK. The current science- and policy-based process on DSI under the CBD did not yet specifically address this important topic. We took the fact that traditional animal breeds and plant landraces are the breeding success of generations of IPLCs as the starting point of our discussion.

The applied traditional knowledge of IPLCs is expressed through living organisms and their characteristics, based on a specific genetic and biochemical set up. DSI is gained from such genetic resources expressing the TK of IPLCs and is publicly available in various databanks. Nowadays, research using this DSI and the development of new products can take place anywhere in the world as long as the necessary infrastructure is in place.

The webinar aimed at clarifying which are the rights of IPLCs on TK with a focus on ensuring benefit sharing. Further, it was discussed how databanks could secure rights of IPLCs on their TK and which benefit-sharing concepts may be developed.

The webinar formed part of our series on technical aspects of digital sequence information (DSI) and aims to support the science-policy process agreed at CBD CoP 14. For more information on our support to the science-policy process see
www.abs-initiative.info/abs-simply-explained/dsi-events/

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