Welcome to ABS Information Forum

BECAUSE OF SOFTWARE CHANGES, THIS SITE IS NO LONGER BEING UPDATED

Chris Lyal July 2024

Natural history museums, botanical gardens and herbaria all collect plants and animals from countries around the world. For many years this has required obtaining permits, at least from some countries. In recent years there has been an increase in the importance of international agreements in this area, and terms such as Access and Benefit-Sharing, ABS and the Nagoya Protocol being used. Researchers and collection managers are aware they have to take note of these and comply with regulations, but it can be difficult to know where to begin. The contents of this site are designed to help.

The site is intended to assist taxonomists and other scientists in their understanding of ABS and their capacity to manage ABS requirements and compliance. It was developed particularly to assist staff of the Natural History Museum, Royal Botanic Gardens Kew and Royal Botanic Gardens Edinburgh to support their implementation of the CETAF Code of Conduct and Best Practices for ABS.