Legal protection of traditional medicine knowledge as intellectual property of North Aceh communities

Abstract

The Convention on Biodiversity affirms the principles of having respect for and protecting traditional knowledge related to biodiversity, including traditional medicine knowledge. Indonesia as a country rich in traditional medicine knowledge ratified the Convention on Biodiversity in 1994. Traditional knowledge is a communal intellectual property which is one of the potential areas for improving people’s welfare. The North Aceh District is one of the districts in Aceh Province which still uses traditional medicines as part of the traditional knowledge of the community. Traditional medicine knowledge includes treatments related to, for example, coughs, broken bones, sprains, fever, itching and ringworm. The ingredients used are Peacock Leaves, Moringa Leaves, Black Seunijuk Leaves, Henna Leaves, Broken Nutmeg Leaves, areca nut roots, logs, areca nuts and noni fruit. This article will analyse the legal protection of traditional medicine knowledge as an intellectual property for the people of North Aceh. The results of the study show that legal protection for the traditional medicine knowledge of the people of North Aceh has not yet been implemented, and the entire existing traditional medicine knowledge is not yet known. Therefore, there is a need for strategic steps such as the availability of data collection in databases and collaboration with institutions observing traditional medicine knowledge.