A Pluriversal Glossary of ABS

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Language mediates how we see and make sense of the world, with far-reaching social, political and material effects. By revisiting the constitutive categories of ABS, one can therefore change how this piece of international biodiversity governance frames and interpretes socio-ecological realities as problems, and how it impacts these socio-ecological realities with both intended and unintended consequences.

Our Pluriversal Glossary of ABS leverages this transformative power of language not only at the abstract level of institutional definitions, but also on the basis of what these categories actually mean in real-life situations for the various stakeholders of ABS. While constructivelly challenging dominant narratives that cement the status quo of ABS, the glossary opens up new venues for stakeholders to change their practices and foster different ABS politics.

On the Pluriversal Glossary of ABS

TEGA's Pluriversal Glossary of ABS is a collaborative instrument for transformative change-making in the field of ABS.

Each entry was discussed in an online 'glossary meeting' that all the participants of TEGA's Community of Purpose were invited to join. These glossary meetings were, in themselves, moments of collective learning and change. Instead of seeking consensual definitions, participants explored what the categories of ABS mean for them in practice and how transformative perspectives could shift ABS approaches and politics.

Beside the discussions held at these glossary meetings, entries are informed by our field research, by workshop results, as well as by documentary sources and the literature. Thanks to this multiplicity of sources, the glossary incorporates the voices of ABS stakeholders who did not attend online meetings, such as those of marginalised rural community members having no stable broadband Internet access.

Each entry addresses the past, present and possible futures of ABS. It starts with a review of institutional definitions of the term. It situates these definitions in a historical context. It presents key meanings of the category for various ABS stakeholders. And it outlines transformative perspectives that might inspire stakeholders to reorient ABS politics and practices.

To share comments or suggestions, please reach out to info@tega-project.com.

Interactive table of contents

Access
Benefit-Sharing
Bio(cultural)diversity
Genetic Resources; Digital Sequence Information
Implementation/ Simplification/ Transformation
Indigenous Data Sovereignty
Indigenous Knowledge / Traditional Knowledge /Local Ecological Knowledge
Justice / Fairness / Equity
Land / Place / Territory / Sovereignty
Nature/ Mother Earth
Ownership / Custodianship / Stewardship
Research Reciprocity
Value(s)

How to use the glossary:

To access the entries, either click on entry names in the table of content above, or use the "Read more" button situated at the end of each entry summary below.

How to cite the glossary:

Glossary entries are the intellectual property of their author(s). To refer to them, please consider the following reference format:

Name, surname of entry author (year of publication). 'Entry name', Pluriversal Glossary of ABS, TEGA, online. url of the entry

Summary of entries

ACCESS

Language mediates how we see and make sense of the world, with far-reaching social, political and material effects. By revisiting the constitutive categories of ABS, one can therefore change how this piece of international biodiversity governance frames and interpretes socio-ecological realities as problems, and how it impacts these socio-ecological realities with both intended and unintended consequences.