Bioprospecção, conhecimentos e sociedades tradicionais: a (in)suficiência dos princípios do consentimento prévio informado e da repartição de benefícios enquanto pressupostos jurídicos para a conservação da sociobiodiversidade

Abstract

In the face of “The Age of Access", traditional knowledge associated with biodiversity of traditional societies has become raw material of the biotechnology industry, being subject of bioprospecting and intellectual property rights for food, pharmaceutical and research and development companies. Based on the principles of prior informed consent and benefits sharing, benefits provided by Convention on Biological Diversity and Medida Provisória nº.2.186-16/01, the interested in bioprospecting of traditional knowledge must be authorized by their holders and share the benefits derived from research and development of bioproducts. However, in respect the benefits sharing, this can lead to the imposition of private and capitalist values, causing risks to the social dynamics and cultural practices of these communities, which are performed under collective and community values. From this finding, the present study aims to analyze to what extent the principles of prior informed consent and benefit sharing are able to promote the conservation of environmental goods of traditional societies, when the developed products are based on the traditional knowledge. For this, the research uses the dialectic approach method, with exploratory objective, through a bibliographic and documentary research, from an interdisciplinary perspective. Even in the face of a international e and national regulation, researchers and industry constantly use discourses that seek unprotect the traditional knowledge and legitimize the non-obtainment and non-realization of the prior informed consent and benefit sharing. Because of the peculiarities of traditional societies, which consider themselves in collective, community and solidarity aspects, these communities have a different culture, being the traditional knowledge associated integrated in your cultural diversity. Given this diversity and its relationship with the environment, social movements in the Latin America and Brasil influenced the incorporation of rights in the Federal Constitution of 1988, emerging sociobiodiversity as new legal category. With the capitalist and development logic of the biotechnology industry, which does not consider aspects of sociobiodiversity, intercultural dialogue and management of biotechnology innovation shows a way to manage the complexity and the different views of the actors involved in the practice of bioprospecting traditional knowledge, inserting socioenvironmental rights in this context. From the establishment of the existence of other legal requirements for bioprospecting, such as the principles of precaution, intergenerational equity and social function of property, is criticized the prior informed consent and benefits sharing, showing that the treatment of these should be done in harmony with other existing legal requirements in order to be able to conserve the sociobiodiversity of traditional societies, ensuring the sustainable use of their resources and maintenance of their lives. It is suggested in this context, some criteria to be considered when defining the benefits and its allocations: 1) sociobiodiversity aspects of traditional groups, from the values, cultural practices and social organizations;2) the environment where live these groups and where will be accessed and where the genetic resources of biodiversity; 3)application and granting patents and any benefits jointly with traditional societies.