Africa could be losing more than US$15 billion from its biodiversity as medicines, cosmetics, agricultural products and indigenous knowledge surrounding these are being patented illegally by multinational companies without there being evidence of benefits accruing to local communities in countries of origin. Presenting a paper titled "Indigenous knowledge in Conservation and Utilisation of Genetic Resources: South Africa Experience",' Tom Suchanandan, an environmental legal expert in the National Indigenous Knowledge System Office under the Department of Science and Technology, said biopiracy cases are still rising as most African countries are losing huge benefits from their resources due to lack of legal protection against biopiracy...[refers to Schwabe, Nestle, Bayer, Merck, Biotech]