Nagoya Protocol / Policy on Access to Genetic Resources
The BEA is fully aware of the importance of properly applying the provisions set forth in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in terms of access to genetic resources and the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits derived from its use –Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)–, and of the fact that these resources are subject to the national sovereignty of States.
Since 2010 the BEA complies with the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization to the CBD. The Nagoya Protocol (NP) is a binding international legal instrument that provides that access to genetic resources for its utilization are subject to prior informed consent (PIC) and the establishment of mutually agreed terms (MAT).
The NP was adopted in 2010, signed by Spain in 2011 and it entered into force in 2014. According to Real Decreto 124/2017, de 24 de febrero, relativo al acceso a los recursos genéticos procedentes de taxones silvestres y al control de la utilización, users requesting strains of Spanish origin for research purposes must request access permission to the competent authority. For more information visit the website of the Spanish Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food (MITECO).