Connecting Traditional Knowledge for Legal Empowerment and Poverty Reduction

This chapter examines how legal protections for traditional knowledge, particularly in biodiversity-rich regions such as India, can evolve from symbolic gestures to practical tools for justice and development. Focusing on India's medicinal plant heritage, it demonstrates how traditional knowledge can help combat poverty, gender disparities, and climate risks. Despite strong laws and global promises, implementation is weak. The chapter critiques patent rules, consent processes, and poor community inclusion. It offers a reform model with a three-tier Access and Benefit-Sharing (ABS) system and introduces the ABS Accountability Matrix, which links laws to real-life benefits. It calls for reforms rooted in rights, equity, and local voices, echoing the SDG call to “Leave No One Behind.”