Dozens of products deeveloped by indigenous peoples of the Amazon will be presented at the eighth conference of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity, Mar. 20-31 in the southern Brazilian city of Curitiba. Among them, a mushroom that cures blindness, and three types of medications to counteract the venom of the much-feared pitviper jararaca (Bothrops jararaca).

The pharmaceuticals and cosmetics are produced by indigenous groups of the northeastern Upper Rio Negro, especially the Baniwa tribe, demonstrating “the wealth of the Amazon and of traditional knowledge,” Jecinaldo Barbosa, president of the Brazilian Amazon Association of Indigenous Organizations, told Tierramérica.

Awareness of these products will serve as a basis for debate on intellectual property rights and the fair distribution of profits and other benefits, he said.