Welcome to the ProBenefit Website
"PROcess-oriented development of a model for equitable (BENEFIT-sharing)
for the use of biological resources in the Amazon Lowlands of Ecuador"
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) adopted at the Earth Summit of Rio de Janeiro in 1992 regulated access to biological resources. The Convention was signed by nearly all UN Member States, including Ecuador and Germany. By promoting ProBenefit the Federal German Ministry for Education and Research (BMBF) is making a contribution to implementing this international agreement.
The goal of ProBenefit is to develop a suitable procedure for equitable benefit-sharing for the use of biological resources and the associated indigenous knowledge in line with the principles of the CBD. To this end the project partners, together with the Ecuadorian government, the local Indian organisations and other relevant groups in society, as well as interested non-governmental organisations, will explore new models for sustainable use of biodiversity in the Ecuadorian Amazon region.
The project also intends to develop guidelines for a cooperation model on the basis of a concrete example. These guidelines aim to improve understanding between the various scientific disciplines and to involve all actors engaged in sustainable use of biological diversity.