Guides
Each signatory country has their own version of the Nagoya Protocol that may mean you would plan research or collections management differently depending on the country. This page gives you a guide to the essentials.
—Making new collections—
Guide steps using an example of fieldwork in Mexico, Guatemala, and Honduras.
This guide was based on the research by Mexican biologist, Dr. Angélica Cibrián Jaramillo.


Prior Informed Consent (PIC)
Whether you're collecting an organism or documenting traditional knowledge associated with an organism, developing a PIC is necessary.Officially, the PIC is "The permission given by the competent national authority of a provider country to a user prior to accessing genetic resources, in line with an appropriate national legal and institutional framework."
Important considerations include detemining who the competent authorities are. For example, a single individual probably does not have jurisdiction to grant access to the organisms in the local area. PICs should typically be obtained from regional and cultural authorities, with local authorities, and with participants.
Try to consult a Competent National Authority for feedback on both your PIC draft and who you plan to request consent from. You may already know a competent authority to give permission, such as an Office for Environmental Research that issues permits. Use your best judgement to seek the most appropriate authorities to give consent, as not all countries have designated Competent National Authorities.
