Regional ABS Capacity- Building Workshop for Eastern and Southern Africa, Addis Ababa October 2 nd -6 th, 2005 Commercialisation of alkaliphilic bacteria originating from Kenya

Peter Munyi Southern Environmental and Agricultural Policy Research Institute (SEAPRI) International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE)

Name and type of genetic resource Alkaliphilic Bacterium (Extremophiles) -micro organisms that thrive under extreme conditions including high Ph and salt concentration and which live in the highly caustic lakes of Kenyas Rift Valley so called soda lakes.

Actors involved The Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) (Kenya) University of Leicester (UK) Genencor International (USA) Gist brocades (the Netherlands )

How the genetic resource is used To manufacture a product, Indiage, that softens the fabric denim giving them the faded look. To manufacture a product, Puradax, an ingredient in washing powders. Both products are believed to be enzymes maintained and multiplied through cloning. There is no known tk related to these products

Type/kind of ABS Agreement None

Agreed benefits in the agreement None as no agreement exists However, the understanding is that ex post facto arrangements are under negotiation.

Benefits realised to date None, as no agreement exists. However, the understanding is that these are under negotiations.

Direct contribution to poverty alleviation if any None, as no agreement exists However, the negotiations between the parties are looking into this. The material is believed to have been collected in uninhabited protected areas but the communities bordering these areas are actively being considered.

Lessons learned to date Lack of clarity in Kenyas legal framework has been cited as the cause of this case. Lack of capacity and resources to address the issue in key Kenyan institutions. Problems in regulating research in the academic sector. Enforcement questions. Pre and post CBD collections

What changes at the local, national and/or international level would significantly have made a difference regarding BS and poverty alleviation? At the National level: Existence of a clear legal framework to regulate collection/access with accompanying (non)monetary and immediate BS arrangements such as, (i) having the collector accompanied by a university student attached to the NRA and for the collector to pay allowances to the student (ii) involvement of the communities where the expedition is in the area of their jurisdiction

At the International level: Existence of an international framework to regulate ABS, with a particular focus on technical cooperation and user measures, taking into account poverty alleviation.

Questions and/or comments?? Thank you!!