Biopiracy is defined as, "the exploitative appropriation of indigenous forms of knowledge by commercial actors, as well as the search for previously unknown compounds in organisms that have never been used in traditional medicine."
History's Most Thrilling Example of Biopiracy
Historically, biopiracy has been significant in the spread of plant varieties across borders. Perhaps one of the most famous and thrilling tales of biopiracy is that of Robert Fortune and his adventures into China. The year was 1848 and The British East India company was immensely frustrated with the Chinese tea trade because China only gave up their tea for pure silver. The East India Company's solution to this economic dilemma was to send a "plant hunter" to China to travel in disguise and steal knowledge of tea cultivation and the plants themselves. With a shaved head and a large paycheck, Fortune was sent on his way. On his expedition, Fortune discovered the difference between black and green tea among many other local secrets related to tea production. Simultaneously, the East India Company was conveniently acquiring land in India that was perfect for tea cultivation. Thus began the British monopoly on tea trade, more than ever before. Today, tea is still grown in India and the industry is worth millions of dollars. Fortune changed the economic landscape of the world, but at what cost to China?
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| Robert Fortune, "plant hunter." |
One very similar story is that of John Rolfe, who mysteriously obtained several tobacco seeds for cultivation in Jamestown, Virginia. At the time, Spain had declared a death penalty on anyone caught selling seeds to a non-Spaniard. However, Rolfe managed to steal the seeds of a popular strain being grown in Trinidad. To this day, it is not known how exactly Rolfe managed to get his hands on such valuable seeds. Perhaps what he did cannot even be described as biopiracy. What is known is that his tobacco saved the North American colonies, making the United States the economic power that it is today and no one in Trinidad benefitted from that.
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| An image of John Rolfe planting tobacco. |
Today, biopiracy is being fought in court all over the world. Too often, indigenous people are being manipulated by large pharmaceutical corporations. One such example is that of the Hoodia, a succulent plant from South Africa. In 1996 large corporations such as Unilever began developing dietary supplements based on the local knowledge of Hoodia's success as an appetite suppressant. The local people were to acquire none of the profits. Finally, an agreement was struck that locals would receive approximately 6% of the profits and put it towards purchasing new land, who had previously lost their land to white settlers. This exemplifies an excellent success story and nice win against biopiracy.
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| The Hoodia plant. |
Sources:
Photo 1: https://www.hort.purdue.edu/newcrop/proceedings1993/figures/v2-142a.gif
Photo 2: http://americasfirstentrepreneur.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/01/John-Rolfe-planting-tobacco.jpg
Photo 3: http://www.icecubediet.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/02/6187965079_630921c054_z.jpg
Great post Isabelle! I was very interested to read about the Hoodia plant. Do you know if the locals had used the Hoodia as an appetite suppressant, or did the corporations discover the plant's properties? Also just to clarify: did they lose their lands to the corporations or before that?
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