Bushbuckridge Traditional Health Practitioners Engage with Local Company

Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) was in the Kruger to Canyons UNESCO Biosphere Reserve today to represent the Bushbuckridge Traditional Health Practitioners Association. The members of the Association were undergoing their first round of Access and Benefit Sharing negotiations with a local company, Silk SA, for the use of their traditional knowledge for the purposes of developing a cosmetic. The negotiations were successful and initial terms of a potential agreement were tentatively agreed to, subject to approval by the full membership of the Traditional Health Practitioners Association. The next round of negotiations between Silk SA and the Traditional Health Practitioners Association is scheduled for November, 2010. More information on the Bushbuckridge Traditional Healers and their bio-cultural community protocol can be found here.