Digital Documentation of Indigenous Plant Knowledge in India: Opportunities, Challenges, and IPR Concerns

Dr. T. Annie Sheron

Dr. K. Usha Rani

Vol. 10, Issue 1, Jan-Dec 2024

Page Number: 56 - 59

Abstract:

The preservation and protection of Indigenous Plant Knowledge (IPK) in India faces significant challenges amid increasing efforts toward digital documentation. India’s rich biodiversity and cultural heritage have fostered extensive knowledge of the medicinal, nutritional, and ecological applications of native flora, traditionally transmitted orally across generations. While digital tools offer new opportunities to safeguard and promote this knowledge, they also raise complex issues surrounding Intellectual Property Rights (IPR), ethical data handling, biopiracy, and equitable benefit-sharing. This paper critically examines the landscape of digital documentation of IPK in India, addressing legal frameworks, community concerns, and the role of initiatives such as the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library (TKDL). It also proposes recommendations to create an inclusive, community-centered approach to digital IPK preservation, one that empowers indigenous communities and protects their intellectual heritage.

References

• Britz, J. J., & Lipinski, T. A. (2001). Ethical challenges in the information age. Library Hi Tech, 19(1), 75– 87. https://doi.org/10.1108/07378830110382761
• Cottier, T. (2004). The protection of traditional knowledge and the TRIPS Agreement. Journal of International Economic Law, 7(2), 371–384. https://doi.org/10.1093/jiel/7.2.371
• Dutfield, G. (2011). Protecting traditional knowledge: Pathways to the future. International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development (ICTSD), Geneva.
• Ghate, U. (2003). Documentation of traditional knowledge: People’s Biodiversity Registers. In Proceedings of National Workshop on Biodiversity Documentation and Traditional Knowledge, 190–195.
• Hirwade, M. (2010). Protecting traditional knowledge digitally: A case study of TKDL. Retrieved from: http://eprints.rclis.org/14020/
• Hirwade, M., & Hirwade, A. (2012). Traditional knowledge protection: An Indian perspective. DESIDOC Journal of Library & Information Technology, 32(3), 240–248. https://doi.org/10.14429/DJLIT.32.3.2381
• Kumar, A. (2012). Challenges of digitization of traditional knowledge. [Details not provided — possibly an unpublished paper or internal report].
• Mosihuzzaman, M. (2012). Safeguarding Indigenous Knowledge. [Details incomplete — possibly a report or conference proceeding].
• Pant, A., & Moorthy, A. L. (2013). Knowledge management and safeguarding Indian traditional knowledge. Journal of Scientific & Industrial Research (JSIR), 60(2), 88–97.
• Pullaiah, T. (2020). Ethnobotany of India (Volumes 1-5). CRC Press.
• Rao, R. R. (2006). Indigenous knowledge and biodiversity conservation. Indian Journal of Traditional Knowledge, 5(1), 1–12.
• Sharma, B. (2018). India’s fight against agricultural and medicinal plants’ biopiracy: Its implications on food security, traditional rights, and knowledge degradation. International Journal of Agriculture, Environment and Biotechnology, 11(6), 947–954. https://doi.org/10.30954/0974-1712.12.2018.9
• Shengji, P. (2001). Ethnobotanical approaches of traditional medicine studies: Some experiences from Asia. Pharmaceutical Biology, 39(Suppl 1), 74–79. https://doi.org/10.1076/phbi.39.s1.74.0009
• Thomas, P. (2010). Traditional knowledge and the Traditional Knowledge Digital Library: Digital quandaries and other concerns. International Communication Gazette, 72(8), 659–673. https://doi.org/10.1177/1748048510380799
• Vinjamuri, L. P., & Bahuguna, R. (2022). The legal nuances of traditional knowledge protection under the IPR regime: A critical analysis. Asian Journal of Advanced Research and Reports, 16(1), 37–45.
• WIPO. (2022). Intellectual property and genetic resources, traditional knowledge and traditional cultural expressions. World Intellectual Property Organization.

Back Download