Indigenous & Traditional Knowledge

According to Article 31 of the UN Declaration on the rights of Indigenous Peoples, indigenous peoples have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their cultural heritage, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. These may take the form of manifestations of their sciences, technologies and cultures, including human and genetic resources, seeds, medicines, knowledge of the properties of fauna and flora, oral traditions, literatures, designs, sports and traditional games, and visual and performing arts. They also have the right to maintain, control, protect and develop their intellectual property over such cultural heritage, traditional knowledge, and traditional cultural expressions.

External links and references

• indigenous/traditional knowledge & intellectual property (by Dr. Jane Anderson for the Center for the Study of the Public Domain Duke University School of Law)
• Indigenous knowledge and sustainability (UNESCO)
• Respecting Indigenous Peoples and Traditional Knowledge(International Association for Impact Assessment)
• Aboriginal traditional knowledge in environmental assessments conducted under the Canadian Environmental Assessment Act
• United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples