As a pioneer in the field of ethical bioprospecting, Verenium has developed the model for benefit sharing and adheres to the Convention on Biological Diversity. Verenium's goal is that both countries, participating institutes and their stakeholders benefit in addition to the bioprospectors themselves. This model secures legal access and provides equitable benefits to all involved. Verenium products are some of the first to generate royalties as a result of bioprospecting collaborations. This approach has facilitated the signing of a number of biodiversity access agreements with research institutions and governments around the world, giving the company broad access to biologically diverse environments around the world. Our partners include INBio in Costa Rica; the Institute of Biochemistry in Leon, Ghana; Kenya Wildlife Service and the International Centre of Insect Physiology and Ecology; and the Institute of Biochemistry and Physiology of Microorganisms (IBPM) in Pushchino, Russia, among others.
In order to reduce the impact on sensitive ecosystems, Verenium collects only small samples of soil, water, sediment, leaf litter, or other materials from the environment, often no more than is left on a boot after a hike, to form our microbial gene libraries. A small sample size is all that is necessary to provide abundant genetic samples for our collection which is estimated to contain over 2 million microbial genomes.
One key example of our efforts in ethical bioprospecting is our relationship with Yellowstone National Park. In 1997 Verenium entered into an agreement with the Park to uncover and share the bounties of the microbial biodiversity found in her diverse features. In 2006, the park released a draft Environmental Impact Study which recommended the model proposed by Verenium almost a decade ago. Read more on Verenium and our National Parks in Prospecting the Biodiversity of Yellowstone.
