Biopiracy is a phenomenon that has plagued world cultures and contributed to mass cultivation of crops all throughout world history. It is the discovery and commercialization of crops indigenous to a particular region without proper compensation, permission, or recognition of the locals or indigenous people who initially presented their knowledge. There have been countless examples throughout history of Biopiracy or “bioprospecting.” Examples include tea, rubber, and the hoodia tree native to South Africa.

Brazilian Rubber Tappers
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Biopiracy has been a major contributing factor in the dispersal of various plant species and crops around the world. Plant hunter and biologist Robert Fortune contributed to the phenomenon in 1848 alongside the British East India Company and their endeavors to establish trade with China. The British were growing increasingly frustrated with the Chinese tea trade as China would only break trade barriers for silver as opposed to other goods. Fortune nearly went “undercover,” sent by the EIC to learn more about the cultivation of production of tea and report back for their own use. The man disguised himself and entered China, realizing many secrets of the trade and growing process, including the differentiation between black and green tea. The EIC by this time had acquired sufficient land in parts of Southeast Asia that were beneficial for the production of tea plants. At this, the EIC had, through Biopiracy, began their dominance the tea trading industry, giving only themselves the recognition.

Robert Fortune
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Another example of British Biopiracy can be seen in the mass cultivation of latex and rubber production. The cultivation began in the Amazon Rainforest and was brought to Europe by Old World explorers. The substance gained traction (puns) and quickly began to be improved by scientists and experimenters around the world. Charles Goodyear accidentally discovered the vulcanization process, a process that increases the strength and durability of rubber, and demand for rubber skyrocketed. The Amazonian sources were soon at capacity and the industry called for expansion. The British sent a man by the name of Henry Wickham to collect seeds from the region and bring them back for their own cultivation needs. Britain then began mass production in Sri Lanka and other parts of Southeast Asia with this prospected information and seed bank, thereby collapsing the Brazilian industry with no compensation.

In the modern day, bioprospecting still exists. The hoodia tree for example, a succulent native the Kalahari Desert of South Africa has been known to the indigenous population of the San people and their use of the plant as a control for appetite. In the mid 1990’s, the South African Center for Scientific and Industrial Research began developing dietary supplements. The San people were not set to receive compensation or payment for the industrial use of the plant and their knowledge on its use until agreements were made with the research institute that called for payment to the indigenous peoples, but only on a minor scale. 

Hoodia Plant
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