Benefit Sharing Compass
Challenge
Benefit-sharing with Indigenous communities is fundamental to ethical biodiversity work that draws on Indigenous knowledge, including studies that generate or use Digital Sequence Information (DSI) from plants. This means researchers and organisations need better insights into how they can involve communities in the process and partner with them. There was a need for a practical, experience-driven resource to help people make informed decisions.
Solution
In collaboration with the researchers of Wakato University, Geo AR created the Benefit Sharing Compass, a game where players experience real world scientific scenarios. They have to make decisions about how to respectfully approach indigenous communities to gain consent for their research. By allocating budgets fairly and correctly, players can ensure that these communities benefit through educational, community-based or other activities.
A short time-to-complete encourages multiple runs through the game, so players can experience a range of scenarios and impacts. Their scores, expressed in colourful tikis, increase when their choices are more fair, equitable, and focused on relationship building.
Positive Impact
Benefit Sharing Compass educates individuals and businesses on how to support better economic and social outcomes for Indigenous communities from plant genetic research. The game’s approach has garnered international interest from research bodies and universities, and is easily translatable to indigenous communities all over the world. A range of translations, and extra case studies for indigenous people in other countries will be deployed in the future.
Overview
Benefit-sharing with Indigenous communities is fundamental to ethical biodiversity work that draws on Indigenous knowledge, including studies that generate or use Digital Sequence Information (DSI) from plants. This means researchers and organisations need better insights into how they can involve communities in the process and partner with them. There was a need for a practical, experience-driven resource to help people make informed decisions.
Video Trailer
In collaboration with the researchers of Wakato University, Geo AR created the Benefit Sharing Compass, a game where players experience real world scientific scenarios. They have to make decisions about how to respectfully approach indigenous communities to gain consent for their research. By allocating budgets fairly and correctly, players can ensure that these communities benefit through educational, community-based or other activities.
A short time-to-complete encourages multiple runs through the game, so players can experience a range of scenarios and impacts. Their scores, expressed in colourful tikis, increase when their choices are more fair, equitable, and focused on relationship building.
