Exploit and protect

In May, the Brazilian government signed the new Brazilian Law No. 13.123/15, which regulates access to national biodiversity. The new law, which will become effective in November, comes as a substitute for the current Provisional Act No. 2.186-16/01, which regulates access to national genetic heritage, as well as the associated traditional knowledge (ATK). The provisional act came at a time when Brazil needed to integrate the principles of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) in 1992, which took place in Rio de Janeiro.