Aboriginal Peoples have been at the forefront of a new rising threat to their culture, biopiracy. Biopiracy refers to the practice where Aboriginal Peoples Traditional knowledge and biological resources are exploited without proper consultation or compensation to the communities who have discovered the benefits and used these resources for generations, this is considered illegal (Correa & Sarnoff, 2005). However, bioprospecting refers to the legal and ethical use of plants or animals to develop medicines such as the Spinifex plant.
The practice of biopiracy raises many ethical concerns primarily, who legally owns the use of the traditional resources. Multi-national corporations and researchers seek to use the properties and benefits from plants and animals, which are typically used in pharmaceuticals and cosmetics. Due to this, Aboriginal communities face the threat of losing control over their natural heritage. Approximately 25% of all pharmaceutical products worldwide have originated from traditional medical knowledge (Rankmore, N.D). The plant benefits of Traditional Peoples everywhere has made a significant contribution to the world’s health today (Rankmore, N.D). This is why is it crucial to ensure there are measures in place for protection.
