Chapter 26: Traditional Knowledge and Modern Science

Knowledge is a continuum. Present-day discoveries often have their roots in prior knowledge. Unfortunately, the Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) regime tends to ignore the contributions of traditional knowledge in the creation of new knowledge. This has led to accusations like biopiracy, plagiarism, knowledge piracy, and so on. The World Intellectual Property Rights Organisation (WIPRO) has hence emphasised the need for recognising the role of traditional knowledge in the growth of contemporary science and technology. Fortunately, the Global Biodiversity Convention adopted at Rio de Janeiro in 1992 and the FAO International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (2001) have both stressed the importance of recognising and rewarding traditional knowledge as well as the contributions of rural and tribal families to genetic resources conservation and enhancement through knowledge addition on their practical value. Our national legislations, Plant Variety Protection and Farmers' Rights Act (2001) and Biodiversity Act (2002), have both emphasised the importance of recognising and rewarding traditional knowledge and local agro-biodiversity, which often constitute the backbone of our food and livelihood security systems…