Hodopathy Ethical Knowledge Policy

Effective date: 23 August 2026
Policy owner: Hodopathy
Contact: care@hodopathy.com

1. Purpose of This Policy

Hodopathy works to preserve, document and encourage the responsible study of nature-based knowledge associated with Adivasi communities, tribal practitioners, elders, forest-dependent families and other traditional knowledge holders.

This Ethical Knowledge Policy explains how Hodopathy intends to approach the collection, documentation, storage, research, publication and responsible use of traditional knowledge and associated biological resources.

Our central principle is:

Traditional knowledge must be preserved with the participation of its custodians—not extracted from them or used without their understanding and permission.

This policy seeks to protect:

• The dignity and identity of knowledge holders
• Individual and collective community rights
• Sacred, secret and culturally restricted knowledge
• Personal and community information
• Native plants, forests and biodiversity
• Proper recognition and attribution
• Fair and equitable benefit-sharing
• Scientific integrity
• Responsible public communication

This policy does not replace project-specific consent, research-ethics approval, Access and Benefit-Sharing agreements or other legal and regulatory requirements.

2. Scope

This policy applies to Hodopathy personnel, consultants, researchers, volunteers, photographers, content creators, laboratories, partner institutions and other parties acting on behalf of Hodopathy.

It applies to activities involving:

• Interviews and oral histories
• Traditional plant knowledge
• Photographs, audio and video recordings
• Field notes and community records
• Biological and botanical samples
• Plant-location and ecological data
• Community health and wellness practices
• Research data and laboratory results
• Digital archives and databases
• Educational and website content
• Product research and development
• Intellectual-property activities
• Third-party data or sample transfers
• Artificial intelligence and machine learning
• Commercial and non-commercial collaborations

Where a partner maintains a stronger ethical or legal standard, Hodopathy may adopt the stronger protection.

3. Guiding Principles

Hodopathy’s treatment of traditional knowledge will be guided by the following principles.

Respect

Adivasi and tribal knowledge must be approached as a legitimate expression of community culture, history and experience.

The Convention on Biological Diversity’s Tkarihwaié:ri Code of Ethical Conduct emphasises respect for the cultural and intellectual heritage of Indigenous Peoples and local communities, including their individual and collective ownership and responsibilities. CBD Ethical Code.

Community Participation

Knowledge holders and appropriate community institutions should participate in decisions affecting documentation, access, publication and future use.

Free, Prior and Informed Consent

Consent should be voluntary, obtained before an activity begins and based on understandable information about purpose, risks, benefits and future use.

Purpose Limitation

Knowledge collected for one stated purpose will not automatically be used for a materially different purpose.

Minimum Necessary Collection

Hodopathy will seek to collect only the information and biological material genuinely required for an approved purpose.

Confidentiality

Sacred, secret, personal and ecologically sensitive information will not be made public merely because it has been documented.

Fairness and Benefit-Sharing

Where knowledge or biological resources create research, educational or commercial value, fair benefits should be considered and agreed with eligible knowledge holders or communities.

Conservation

Knowledge-related activities should protect medicinal plants, native species, forests, water, soil and biodiversity.

Scientific Integrity

Traditional use, laboratory findings, observational evidence and clinically established conclusions will be distinguished accurately.

Accountability

Hodopathy will maintain records, provide ways to raise concerns and take corrective action when this policy is violated.

4. Understanding Knowledge Ownership and Custodianship

Traditional knowledge may be held:

• By an individual practitioner
• By a family or lineage
• By a group of practitioners
• By a village or community
• Across several communities
• By a customary or cultural institution
• In publicly available traditions
• In restricted or sacred traditions

Hodopathy will not assume that the person sharing information has authority to disclose every aspect of it.

Before recording sensitive knowledge, reasonable efforts will be made to understand:

• Who holds the knowledge
• Whether it is individual or collective
• Who may authorise access
• Whether customary restrictions apply
• Whether additional community permission is required
• Whether other communities share the same knowledge
• Whether publication could cause cultural or ecological harm

Permission from a general institution does not necessarily replace the consent of an identifiable knowledge holder. Similarly, one individual cannot automatically authorise disclosure of collectively held knowledge.

5. Knowledge Classification

Before documentation or publication, knowledge should be classified according to its sensitivity and permitted use.

Level 1: Public Knowledge

Information already made public with legitimate authorisation and not subject to known restrictions.

Public availability does not remove the responsibility to acknowledge sources or avoid misleading presentation.

Level 2: Community-Shareable Knowledge

Knowledge that may be shared for approved educational, conservation or research purposes with appropriate community and knowledge-holder permission.

Level 3: Restricted Research Knowledge

Information that may be documented for a defined research purpose but may not be published, transferred or commercially used without renewed permission.

Level 4: Confidential Knowledge

Knowledge restricted to named individuals, families, practitioners or authorised researchers. Access must be controlled and recorded.

Level 5: Sacred or Secret Knowledge

Culturally protected knowledge that should not be recorded, disclosed or used unless its recognised custodians expressly authorise a clearly defined activity.

WIPO recognises “sacred-secret” traditional knowledge as information having secret or sacred significance under the customary laws and practices of its traditional owners. WIPO Traditional Knowledge Glossary.

Ecologically Sensitive Information

The precise location of a rare plant, sacred grove, breeding habitat or vulnerable ecosystem may be withheld even when general information about the species is shareable.

Personal or Health-Related Information

Identifiable personal information and health-related accounts require additional privacy, confidentiality and ethical safeguards.

6. Consent Standards

Consent will be treated as a process rather than a single signature.

Before participation, the proposed activity should be explained in a language and form the participant can understand.

The explanation should include:

• Identity of the person or organisation requesting access
• Purpose of the activity
• Information or material requested
• Recording methods
• Intended research or publication
• Storage arrangements
• Persons or institutions that may receive access
• Possible commercial or intellectual-property use
• Expected risks and uncertainties
• Proposed benefits
• Confidentiality options
• Duration of permission
• Withdrawal procedures
• Contact and complaint mechanisms

Consent may be documented through written forms, witnessed oral consent, audio or video recording, community resolutions, agreements or other appropriate methods.

A participant’s signature or thumb impression will not be treated as valid consent if the proposed activity was not properly explained.

7. Separate Permission for Different Uses

Permission for one purpose will not be interpreted as unlimited permission.

Separate or renewed consent may be required for:

• Documentation
• Photography or video
• Biological-sample collection
• Laboratory research
• Public disclosure
• Academic publication
• Third-party transfer
• Commercial development
• Intellectual-property applications
• International transfer
• Database deposition
• Artificial-intelligence training
• Advertising and promotional use

If a non-commercial research project later develops commercial potential, Hodopathy will seek appropriate renewed consent, regulatory review and mutually agreed terms before commercial use proceeds.

8. The Right to Refuse or Withdraw

Knowledge holders may refuse to participate or decline particular parts of an activity.

They may request:

• No photography or recording
• Anonymity
• Exclusion of particular information
• Restrictions on publication
• Prohibition of commercial use
• Limited access to records
• Protection of exact plant locations
• Review before publication
• Return or destruction of specified material
• No transfer to third parties

Withdrawal will be respected to the extent reasonably and legally possible.

Consent documentation should explain that complete removal may not be possible after information has been lawfully published, irreversibly anonymised or incorporated into completed analysis. These limitations must be explained before consent is obtained.

9. Responsible Documentation

Every approved knowledge record should, where appropriate, include:

• Date and place of documentation
• Name of the knowledge holder or approved code
• Community or cultural source
• Name of the interviewer or recorder
• Local language used
• Botanical and local plant names
• Consent status
• Permitted uses
• Prohibited uses
• Confidentiality level
• Attribution preference
• Benefit-sharing commitments
• Review or expiry date
• Third-party transfer restrictions
• Applicable project or agreement number

Documentation should preserve cultural context and avoid converting a complex tradition into an unsupported medical claim.

WIPO cautions that documentation can expose traditional knowledge to unauthorised use if intellectual-property and confidentiality risks are not addressed. WIPO Traditional Knowledge Documentation Toolkit.

10. Botanical and Biological Samples

Collection of biological material will require appropriate scientific, community and legal safeguards.

Before collection, Hodopathy should consider:

• Correct botanical identification
• Conservation status
• Community and land rights
• Required permissions
• Collection quantity
• Ecological impact
• Sustainable harvesting method
• Sample destination
• Storage period
• Possible genetic or biochemical analysis
• Transfer to third parties
• International transfer
• Disposal or return

Samples should be labelled and traceable. Rare, threatened, culturally restricted or legally protected species require additional review and may not be collected.

A photograph or verbal description of a plant does not by itself establish its identity or safety.

11. Data Storage and Access Control

Hodopathy will seek to use security measures proportionate to the sensitivity of the information.

These may include:

• Password-protected systems
• Role-based access
• Encryption
• Coded identities
• Separation of consent records from research data
• Access logs
• Secure physical storage
• Backup and recovery procedures
• Retention and deletion schedules
• Restrictions on downloading and copying
• Written confidentiality obligations

Access should be limited to people who require the information for an approved purpose.

Sensitive community data should not be stored indefinitely merely because storage is technically possible.

12. Digital Publication and Artificial Intelligence

Digital publication can make information globally accessible, searchable, downloadable and difficult to withdraw.

Before publishing traditional knowledge online, Hodopathy will consider:

• Whether public access was specifically authorised
• Whether a search engine should index the content
• Whether precise locations should be removed
• Whether images reveal sensitive cultural information
• Whether downloading or reuse should be restricted
• Whether publication could encourage overharvesting
• Whether personal identities should be concealed
• Whether the content may be copied into external databases

Hodopathy will not knowingly use restricted, confidential, sacred or secret traditional knowledge to train artificial-intelligence or machine-learning systems without specific, informed authorisation and appropriate terms.

Permission to store a digital record does not automatically include permission to:

• Train an AI model
• Create synthetic content
• Produce automated plant recommendations
• Develop commercial algorithms
• Share data with an AI service provider
• Generate an imitation of a practitioner’s voice or appearance

Any proposed AI use should undergo separate ethical, privacy, community and legal review.

13. Research Ethics

Research involving people, personal information, biological samples or health-related knowledge should undergo appropriate ethical and scientific review.

Research should include:

• A clear and proportionate research purpose
• Qualified personnel
• Community engagement
• Informed consent
• Privacy protection
• Benefit-risk assessment
• Botanical authentication
• Responsible sample handling
• Transparent funding information
• Conflict-of-interest disclosure
• Appropriate research-ethics approval
• Accurate reporting of results
• Community access to relevant findings

Traditional experience can identify important research questions, but traditional use alone does not establish clinical safety or effectiveness.

Hodopathy will distinguish among:

• Traditional or historical use
• Practitioner or community testimony
• Laboratory research
• Animal studies
• Observational evidence
• Controlled clinical evidence
• Regulatory approval

Negative, inconclusive and adverse findings should not be hidden merely because they are commercially inconvenient.

14. Publication and Public Communication

Hodopathy will seek to communicate traditional knowledge respectfully and accurately.

Public content should:

• Identify the cultural or geographical source when permitted
• Recognise relevant knowledge holders
• Avoid stereotypes
• Avoid romanticising or diminishing communities
• Distinguish traditional accounts from scientific evidence
• Protect sacred and confidential details
• Avoid exact locations of vulnerable species
• Avoid unsafe preparation instructions
• Avoid exaggerated claims
• Explain important evidence limitations
• Correct material errors transparently

No content should claim that a traditional practice is a guaranteed cure unless such a statement is legally permissible and supported by appropriate high-quality evidence.

Website content is intended for education, cultural preservation and responsible research. It should not be treated as individual medical advice or a substitute for qualified healthcare.

15. Photography Audio and Video

Permission to take a photograph or recording does not automatically include permission to publish, advertise, edit or transfer it.

Before recording, Hodopathy should explain:

• Where the material will appear
• Whether names and locations will be disclosed
• Whether the use is educational or commercial
• Whether editing will occur
• Whether third parties may receive it
• Whether it may be used internationally
• Whether it may be used in future campaigns
• How long it will be retained
• How withdrawal requests will be handled

Special care is required for children, patients, sacred practices and people in vulnerable circumstances.

Health information or patient images will not be publicly disclosed without appropriate legal and ethical permission.

16. Attribution and Recognition

Knowledge holders should be recognised in the form they prefer.

Options may include:

• Naming the individual
• Naming the community
• Naming both
• Acknowledging a practitioner group
• Joint authorship where appropriate
• Anonymous attribution
• Coded attribution
• No public identification

Hodopathy will not disclose a name merely to strengthen publicity if the contributor prefers anonymity.

Attribution does not replace consent or benefit-sharing.

17. Benefit-Sharing

Where traditional knowledge or biological resources contribute to research, education, intellectual property or commercial development, Hodopathy will consider fair and equitable monetary and non-monetary benefits.

Possible benefits include:

• Upfront payments
• Research-participation fees
• Royalties or licence income
• Community conservation funds
• Employment
• Training
• Scholarships
• Nurseries and medicinal-plant gardens
• Research infrastructure
• Local processing facilities
• Technology transfer
• Access to research findings
• Joint publication
• Community education
• Biodiversity restoration
• Long-term sourcing arrangements

Benefit-sharing should be documented through understandable and mutually agreed terms.

India’s biodiversity framework recognises eligible knowledge holders and conservers as potential benefit claimers and regulates relevant access and benefit-sharing activities. National Biodiversity Authority.

18. Intellectual Property

Intellectual-property issues should be discussed before research results or traditional knowledge are used in an application.

Hodopathy will consider:

• The origin of the knowledge
• Individual and collective contributions
• Whether an application is appropriate
• Inventorship under applicable law
• Ownership and licensing
• Disclosure-of-origin requirements
• Continuing customary use
• Community benefits
• Confidentiality
• Third-party rights
• Applicable biodiversity permissions

Hodopathy will not intentionally claim exclusive ownership over pre-existing traditional knowledge merely because it has been recorded, translated, digitised or scientifically studied.

Any independently developed process or formulation inspired by traditional knowledge should still be evaluated for attribution, access, consent and benefit-sharing responsibilities.

19. Third-Party Transfer

Traditional knowledge, biological samples or restricted data will not be transferred to a third party unless the transfer is permitted by:

• The original consent
• The applicable agreement
• Community or knowledge-holder approval
• Research-ethics requirements
• Applicable biodiversity and other laws

The recipient should accept written obligations concerning:

• Permitted use
• Confidentiality
• Data security
• No unauthorised onward transfer
• Publication
• Intellectual property
• Benefit-sharing
• Return or destruction
• Reporting of incidents

The Biological Diversity Rules recognise restrictions on transferring accessed biological resources and associated traditional knowledge to third parties without the required approval. National Biodiversity Authority—Rules.

20. Conservation and Sustainable Sourcing

Knowledge preservation should not cause ecological damage.

Hodopathy will seek to:

• Avoid destructive harvesting
• Protect rare and threatened plants
• Maintain traceable sourcing
• Encourage cultivation where appropriate
• Support native-species nurseries
• Protect sacred groves and sensitive habitats
• Monitor collection pressure
• Avoid public disclosure of rare-plant locations
• Comply with forest and biodiversity requirements
• Involve communities in conservation decisions

Commercial demand will not by itself justify harvesting a species whose natural population cannot support collection.

21. Conflicts of Interest

Personnel and partners should disclose financial, professional or personal interests that could influence:

• Selection of knowledge for research
• Interpretation of findings
• Community negotiations
• Benefit-sharing
• Product development
• Publication
• Intellectual-property decisions
• Procurement of biological materials

Hodopathy may require independent review where a conflict could affect community rights, safety or research integrity.

22. Children and Vulnerable Participants

Children should not be asked to disclose restricted community knowledge merely because they are easily accessible.

Activities involving children or vulnerable individuals require:

• A justified purpose
• Age-appropriate explanation
• Parent or guardian permission where required
• The child’s assent where appropriate
• Additional privacy protection
• No coercive incentives
• Appropriate ethical review
• Restrictions on photography and publication

Vulnerability will not be used to obtain information that responsible knowledge holders have declined to share.

23. Complaints and Grievances

Knowledge holders, communities and members of the public may raise concerns about:

• Lack of consent
• Unauthorised publication
• Incorrect attribution
• Misrepresentation
• Breach of confidentiality
• Harmful harvesting
• Failure to provide agreed benefits
• Unauthorised sample or data transfer
• Misleading health claims
• Disrespectful photography
• Other violations of this policy

Concerns may be submitted to:

Email: care@hodopathy.com

A complaint should include, where possible:

• Name and contact information
• Description of the concern
• Relevant webpage, project or person
• Date or approximate period
• Supporting information
• Requested correction or remedy

Anonymous complaints may be considered when sufficient information is available.

Hodopathy will seek to acknowledge complaints, protect complainants from retaliation and review concerns fairly.

24. Corrective Action

Where a breach is confirmed, corrective measures may include:

• Correction of inaccurate content
• Removal or restriction of access
• Suspension of data or sample use
• Renewed consent
• Return or destruction of material
• Payment of outstanding benefits
• Additional community consultation
• Termination of a partnership
• Disciplinary action
• Notification of an ethics committee or competent authority
• Other appropriate remedies

The response should be proportionate to the seriousness, consequences and reversibility of the violation.

25. Policy Review

This policy will be reviewed periodically and may be updated to reflect:

• Community feedback
• Changes in Hodopathy activities
• New scientific or ethical standards
• Amendments to Indian law
• Developments in biodiversity governance
• Digital and artificial-intelligence risks
• Lessons from complaints and project reviews

Material changes should be published with an updated effective date.

26. Our Commitment

Hodopathy recognises that traditional knowledge is inseparable from the people, cultures and ecosystems that sustain it.

We are committed to preserving knowledge through:

• Respect rather than appropriation
• Consent rather than assumption
• Partnership rather than extraction
• Attribution rather than erasure
• Fair benefits rather than one-sided gain
• Conservation rather than overexploitation
• Evidence rather than exaggeration
• Accountability rather than silence

Hodopathy—Preserving Knowledge with Consent, Dignity and Responsibility.

This policy provides Hodopathy’s general ethical framework. It is not legal advice and does not create unrestricted permission to access or use traditional knowledge or biological resources. Each project must be reviewed according to its specific facts, applicable law and required community, ethical and regulatory approvals.