Study carried out in Cannanore and Kasaragod Districts in north Malabar region of Kerala.

Contributed articles; with reference to India.

The disturbing changes occurring in the global climate and environment has been a matter of concern for the current generation. The issue of climate change due to human activities can be analysed under two broad categories: emissions of Greenhouse Gases (GHGs) and the nearly irreversible damage to the environment. Reducing emissions of GHGs is intimately connected with economic issues and hence a matter of global politics. It needs to be handled through global negotiations and, ultimately, through the use of alternate sources of energy and clean technology. The second category is more dangerous, since the recovery process will be extremely slow and the corrective measures more complicated than those for the GHG abatement. Large-scale mass movements, and not mere government policies or laws, are necessary to tackle this factor.

Biodiversity research and prospecting are long-standing activities taking place in a new legal and ethical environment. Following entry into force of the Convention on Biological Diversity in 1993, and other recent policy developments, expectations and obligations for research and prospecting partnerships have changed. However, to date there are few guides to integrating these concepts with practice. This book offers practical guidance on how to arrive at equitable biodiversity research and prospecting partnerships. Drawing on experience and lessons learned from around the world, it provides case studies, analysis and recommendations in a range of areas that together form a new framework for creating equity in these partnerships. They include researcher codes of ethics, institutional policies, community research agreements, the design of more effective commercial partnerships and biodiversity prospecting contracts, the drafting and implementation of national 'access and benefit-sharing' laws, and institutional tools for the distribution of financial benefits. As part of the People and Plants initiative to enhance the role of communities in efforts to conserve biodiversity and use natural resources sustainably, Biodiversity and Traditional Knowledge will be invaluable to students, researchers and local communities, academic institutions, international agencies, government bodies and companies involved in biodiversity research, prospecting and conservation.

About neglected crops of the American continent. Published in collaboration with the Botanical Garden of Cord�ba (Spain) as part of the Etnobot�nica92 Programme (Andalusia, 1992)

Working with Indigenous Knowledge: A guide for researchers