Training cum Workshop on Community Biodiversity Management
3-4 May 2008, Pokhara, Nepal


South Asia Watch on Trade, Economics & Environment (SAWTEE) in collaboration with Local Initiatives for Biodiversity, Research and Development (LI-BIRD) organized a two-day training-cum-workshop titled 'Community Biodiversity Management' (CBM) during 3-4 May 2008 in Pokhara. The programme was organized as part of the project titled 'Grassroots and Policy Linkage on WTO Issues (GRAPOL)' with the objective to introduce the participants to the issues, concept and practices related to CBM, followed by a field visit. Around 30 participants, including development workers, journalists and farmers from Palpa, Kapilvastu, Rupandehi and Pokhara attended the programme.
 

The training-cum-workshop was divided into three sessions, each followed by floor discussions. In his presentation on 'Biodiversity Management in the Global Context', Mr Kamalesh Adhikari, Research Director, SAWTEE, highlighted issues related to Intellectual Property Rights in the context of the World Trade Organization, and national and international legislations affecting biodiversity management. Participants raised several queries regarding the practice of obtaining patents, clarified their doubts concerning various international agreements and also expressed concerns about biopiracy. The second presentation by Dr Pratap Shrestha, Executive Director, LI-BIRD titled 'Application of CBM' focused on the objectives, principles, importance and process of CBM. In the final session, Mr Bimal Regmi, Senior Programme Officer, LI-BIRD dealt with the tools, methods and approaches of CBM in his presentation titled 'Good Practices of CBM'. He cited examples set by various communities in Nepal supported by LI-BIRD.

On the second day of the programme, participants were taken on a field visit to Jaibik Shrot Samrakshyan Aviyan Sanstha (Biological Resources Conservation Initiative Organization) to witness examples of good CBM practices. The participants visited a farm where a total of 121 herbal plants were cultivated and learnt about their usage. They also visited another farm to observe the practice of Participatory Plant Breeding by local farmers, including permiculture and organic coffee cultivation.

The participants are expected to disseminate their learnings and organize such programmes at the local level in their working areas.