The IPBC also maintains a listserv to share current information with Coalition members. These documents are provided in their original, unaltered format and all rights remain with the original authors. Indigenous peoples are facing a new wave of colonization, this time at the molecular level. Since indigenous populations represent a significant percentage of the world's human diversity, we are also priority subjects for scientific curiosity.
Genetic research raises a complex range of legal, ethical and social issues for Indigenous peoples.
Current legal protocols which govern the conduct of research on human subjects fail to recognize the rights of groups, like tribes, to control genetic material and information shared collectively by the group. While we have recognized rights and jursdiction over our territories and membership, recognition of our rights to our collective intellectual and cultural knowledge, and genetic resources, are battles yet to be waged and written into law and policy. In this new age of bio-prospecting, indigenous knowledge and biological resources are extremely threatened by appropriation. Tribes must prepare to protect their biological resources from exploitation. The IPBC Web Site is provided as a resource to Tribal Governments, Organizations and individuals to share current information on the issue of biopiracy, and what can be done about it.