UK Focal Point on Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing

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Legal Summary

Jurisdiction - Which territory is comprised by ‘the United Kingdom’?

The UK comprises the countries of England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, the Overseas Territories and the Crown Dependencies.

Genetic resources found on the land and inland waters of these areas lie within the sovereign jurisdiction of the UK, as do genetic resources found in the marine environment in inland, coastal and territorial waters and the Exclusive Economic Zone.