Episode 5- Access and Benefit Sharing of Marine Genetic Resources
Series on Stakeholders in BBNJ: PART 3 Scientist
We don’t yet know what the deep sea holds – but what we know is that benefits need to be shared fairly and equitably. A new Ocean Treaty changes the status quo of access and benefit sharing of marine genetic resources (MGRs) of areas beyond national jurisdiction. Yet, many questions remain about the nitty-gritty details of implementation.
In this episode we meet Fran Humphries, Associate Professor at Griffith University, an expert on Access and Benefit Sharing of Marine Genetic resources. She guides us through ocean equity issues about sharing the genetic material of the deepest parts of the ocean.
Guest: Associate Professor Fran Humphries
Hosts: Ina Tessnow-von Wysocki & Jennifer Macey
Sound design and editing: EmilyPerkins
Communication: Sunnefa Yeatman
For comments & feedback please contact: inatvw@uow.edu.au
Find out more:
ANCORS Ocean Equity page https://oceanequityresearch.org/
ANCORS at the University of Wollongong https://www.uow.edu.au/ancors/
You can find official documents in preparation for the First Preparatory Commission Meeting on the United Nations Website: https://www.un.org/bbnjagreement/en/meetings/preparatory-commission/documents/first-session
Research on Marine Genetic Resources:
Humphries, F. (2025). Decoding Marine GeneticResource Governance Under the BBNJ Agreement (1st ed. 2025.). Springer Nature Switzerland. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72100-7
Humphries, F. (2025). Marine Genetic Resources Beyond National Jurisdiction: The Expansive Scope of the BBNJ Agreement. In: Humphries, F. (eds) Decoding Marine Genetic Resource Governance Under the BBNJ Agreement. Sustainable Development Goals Series. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-72100-7_3
Research on the BBNJ process by ANCORS researchers:
Kraabel, K. (2022). Institutional arrangements in a BBNJ treaty: Implications for Arctic marine science. Marine Policy, 142,103807-. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.marpol.2019.103807
Lothian, S. (2023b). The BBNJ Agreement: Through the Prismof Deep-Sea Vulnerable Marine Ecosystems. Ocean Development and International Law, 54(4), 469–499. https://doi.org/10.1080/00908320.2023.2296400
Lothian, S. (2022). Marine conservation and international law: legal instruments for biodiversity beyond national jurisdiction. Routledge, Taylor & Francis Group.
Tessnow-von Wysocki, I., & Vadrot, A. B. M. (2024).Pathways of scientific input into intergovernmental negotiations: a new agreement on marine biodiversity. International Environmental Agreements : Politics, Law and Economics, 24(2–3), 325–348. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10784-024-09642-0
Tessnow-von Wysocki, I. (2023). Science-policy interfaces for ocean protection: The case of the international negotiations for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction (BBNJ). Doctoral Thesis. https://phaidra.univie.ac.at/detail/o:1978693
Tessnow-von Wysocki, I., & Vadrot, A. B. M. (2022).Governing a Divided Ocean: The Transformative Power of Ecological Connectivity in the BBNJ Negotiations. Politics and Governance, 10(3), 14–28. https://doi.org/10.17645/pag.v10i3.5428
Tessnow-von Wysocki, I., & Vadrot, A. B. M. (2020). The Voice of Science on Marine Biodiversity Negotiations: A Systematic Literature Review. Frontiers in Marine Science, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fmars.2020.614282
Vadrot, A. B. M., Langlet, A., & Tessnow-von Wysocki, I.(2021). Who owns marine biodiversity? Contesting the world order through the ‘common heritage of humankind’ principle. Environmental Politics, 31(2),226–250. https://doi.org/10.1080/09644016.2021.1911442