Many plant scientists rely on open access to information (DNA and RNA sequences data, for example) to perform their daily work.
Things might change for them in the future because of the obligations to respect access and benefit-sharing (ABS) rights under the Convention on Biodiversity (CBD) and the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture) and maybe the Nagoya Protocols on Access and Benefit Sharing. Plant scientist must have a voice in the policies and practices as they are being developed internationally.
This WG brings together law experts and plant researchers to discuss how countries and institutions are adapting to these policies, and raises awareness of potential issues among the plant science community (see videos below).