The first pan-African workshop on Access and Benefit-sharing (ABS) and Forests was held from 22-25 June 2009, in Nairobi, Kenya.

The workshop brought together more than 50 forest and ABS experts from across Africa, and resulted in a set of recommendations to better integrate ABS and forest sector policies. Among its key findings, the workshop noted that ABS and forest management are inextricably linked, however existing legislation relating to forests and the environment do not sufficiently address the issue of ABS. The workshop also noted that: there is a need to develop/implement legal provisions as well as tracking and monitoring systems that address ABS and forestry issues; and national and regional strategies to deal with ABS and forest management are required, as some genetic resources and traditional knowledge are shared among countries and communities.
Link to further information
Workshop recommendations