Database Tools to Meet the Nagoya Protocol Requirements in a Collection Management System

Abstract

The Nagoya Protocol (NP) of the Convention on Biological Diversity requires that genetic resource holders and users obtain, preserve and keep relevant documentation. Users and third parties need to be informed on terms of access, which utilisation is allowed, and which benefits need to be shared when respective genetic resources or associated traditional knowledge is utilised in the meaning of the NP. Following the recommendations in the Code of Conduct & Best Practices of the Consortium of European Taxonomic Facilities (CETAF) CETAF Legislations and Regulations Liaison Group 2019, institutions should implement appropriate data management systems to support compliance with the protocol and keep records on acquisition of biological material, utilization of genetic resources, transfers to third parties, benefits derived and shared, and deaccessioning of specimens or disposal of consumed samples. Here we describe how we have implemented the first set of tools to meet the NP requirements in the Kotka Collection Management System (CMS), which is used by eleven Natural History Museums in Finland. The Kotka CMS is used for storing and managing specimen data and for handling material transactions (loans, exchanges, donations and consumptive loans). Users can enter and store all necessary documentation for both incoming and outgoing material as material transactions, which hold information on e.g., the transaction type, description of the material, important dates, correspondent organization and contact person. Specimens are linked to transactions by their unique identifiers and each transaction also has a unique stable identifier. The first version of the tools for meeting the requirements of the Nagoya protocol on both in situ and ex situ accession of genetic resources have been integrated into the transaction section of the system. For genetic resource users to be able to enter, save and provide all the required information about an incoming genetic resource, we have implemented a set of fields to be completed in ...