Aboriginal Tourism: A Mask of Biopirates Threatening Inherent Knowledge and Ecological Diversity

Mahmood Khan Yousufi^1, and Narendra Kumar Thapak¹

¹School of Law, L.N.C.T University, Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, 462042, India

Cite this paper:
Mahmood Khan Yousufi and Narendra Kumar Thapak. Aboriginal Tourism: A Mask of Biopirates Threatening Inherent Knowledge and Ecological Diversity. Applied Ecology and Environmental Sciences. 2021; 9(1):114-118. doi: 10.12691/aees-9-1-18

Abstract

The aboriginal people actively participate in safeguarding ecological diversity worldwide. The interaction of aboriginal people with their ecological diversity for generations has acquired them with indigenous or inherent knowledge. The indigenous information is used by aboriginal individuals for health issues, agricultural practices, animal breeding, plant breeding and also for various spiritual and cultural ceremonies. Every year aboriginal tourism programmes are organized in different locations around the globe. In recent years, it is witnessed that some researchers, scientists and representatives of various global corporations often perform educational, research, explorative or project tours in the native places of aboriginal people. During the aboriginal tourism programmes, biopirates disguise as aboriginal tourists and isolate samples of plants, animals, and also ancestral knowledge. These vital ecological samples and ancestral knowledge are largely used for producing bioproducts which are often subjected to patenting. It was concluded from this investigation that biopirates have used aboriginal tourism as a mask for biopirating the inherent knowledge and ecological diversity of the aboriginal people for their selfish research and greed for wealth.

Keywords:
aboriginal tourism biopirates biopiracy inherent knowledge ecological diversity

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