Communities raise alarm over rising bio-piracy cases

Belgians Lornoy David and Seppe Lodewijckx were charged for smuggling ants worth Sh1.2 million at Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. [Kamau Muthoni, Standard]

An increasing number of communities are revealing cases of biopiracy that often go unreported, particularly following a recent case involving four individuals charged with the illegal trafficking of live garden ants.

These communities claim that foreign researchers frequently bypass regulations, exploiting loopholes in both national and international laws that are meant to safeguard countries' rights over their genetic resources.