The Japan Times asked delegates and other COP10 participants what their top priorities are at the conference. Many mentioned an Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Protocol that is currently the subject of intense negotiations. This would determine how companies and researchers gain access to and distribute the profits from genetic resources and traditional knowledge gathered in other countries (for instance, plant material from the Brazilian rain forest used to develop medicines in Japan).
Shiro Kayano, President of the World Indigenous People's Network AINU (WIN-AINU) Hokkaido, Japan
People need to pay attention to cultural diversity as well as biological diversity. We also want a strong agreement on access and benefit sharing (ABS). Finally, I hope people will take a look at their consumer lifestyle and use this as a chance to change.