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title: "Learning from Nature: Innovation Inspired by the Natural World"
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Learning from Nature: Innovation Inspired by the Natural World

# Learning from Nature: Innovation Inspired by the Natural World

Amy Anderson
- 17 September 2025
[Innovation](https://spoor.com/tag/innovation/), [Nature](https://spoor.com/tag/nature/),

Human innovation has been driven by our ability to learn from the environment around us. Intricate designs and remarkable efficiencies found in nature have been refined over millions of years of evolution, inspiring scientists and engineers to develop solutions to modern challenges.

From architecture to medicine, nature’s influence is evident in many of the technologies that exist in our everyday lives. This process of observing, emulating, and adapting natural designs has not only enhanced innovation but also sparked important legal and ethical questions, such as: to what extent can these nature-inspired inventions be protected, and should such inventions derived from nature be attributed to any person.

***READ MORE: [The New South African Plant Breeders’ Rights Act No. 12 of 2018 comes into force](https://spoor.com/plant-breeders-rights-act/)***

## Nature’s evolution to human innovation

Our legislation provides that a patent may be granted for any new invention, that involves an inventive step and is capable of being applied in trade, agriculture, or industry. However, the legislation also stipulates that certain subject matter will not be deemed to be an invention – including a discovery – with the proviso being that a discovery is only excluded “to the extent to which [the patent] relates to that thing as such.”

Discoveries as such are not deemed to be inventions as they lack human ingenuity in their creation and are further deemed to lack novelty. Therefore, merely discovering a therapeutic compound of interest in a plant, for example, would not qualify for patent protection.

Though discoveries as such are not patentable nature-inspired inventions have left their footprint on many technological advancements throughout history. A prominent example is the reflective road stud, inspired by the light-reflecting ability of a cat’s eye. Improving visibility in low light was the inspiration for the development of lane markings and road boundaries visible in foggy conditions – revolutionising road safety. Another notable example is the “hook and loop” mechanism (patented in the 1950s and popularised as a fastener under the trademark VELCRO®), inspired by the seed dispersal mechanisms of the burdock plant. The tiny hooks on the plant’s burrs, which naturally attach to animal fur were the inspiration for the invention of this fastener.

Innovations inspired by natural phenomena are often granted patent protection, even though a similar concept exists in nature. The hook and loop fastener functions in precisely the same way as the tangled fur of animals and the firm yet flexible hooks of burdock seeds. The mechanism enabling this natural process and the mechanism claimed as the invention, are practically identical but transforming something as simple as a burdock burr into a durable, industrially-manufacturable product requires significant human innovation and creativity. Therefore, inventions that mimic nature but nevertheless involve non-obvious human ingenuity, may be patentable.

While inventions like the reflective road stud and the hook and loop mechanism demonstrate how natural structures can inspire innovations through mechanical mimicry, a nature-inspired invention is not limited to form and function.

Nature also provides biological substances, such as genetic material, biochemical compounds, and living organisms, which can serve as a foundation for inventions in biotechnology, pharmaceuticals, and/or agriculture. Though the identification or discovery of these compounds are not deemed to be patentable as an innovation, their use, extraction, modification, or synthesis may give rise to patentable subject matter.

## Legal Requirements for Protection: Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge

The World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) Treaty on Intellectual Property, Genetic Resources and Associated Traditional Knowledge (“the Treaty”) to which South Africa acceded in May 2024, requires patent applicants to disclose any genetic resources and/or traditional knowledge on which a claimed invention is based. The applicant should also disclose the country of origin of the genetic resource or, if the country is not known, the source of the genetic resource, as well as any indigenous people or local communities which may have provided such knowledge. In short, a patent applicant must recognise the geographical origin of the resources or knowledge that inspired the invention, and any indigenous communities who may first have observed the innovative concept. Although the Treaty is relevant to genetic resources and indigenous knowledge it does not apply to all inventions inspired by nature.

The principles contained in the Treaty are entrenched in South African patent legislation. In fact, the provisions of the Patent Act reflect a slightly broader approach to acknowledging the contribution of natural resources and indigenous communities when it comes to inventions of this nature. Where an invention is found to be based on or derived from a genetic resource, indigenous knowledge or an indigenous biological resource, the applicant must provide proof of its authority to use this resource or knowledge. This “proof” can take various forms, including a copy of a permit issued in terms of the National Environmental Management: Biodiversity Act 2004 (NEMB Act). The NEMB Act stipulates that an applicant will only be issued with a bioprospecting permit if it has entered into a material transfer or benefit-sharing agreement with the persons or indigenous community providing access to the resources/knowledge to which the invention relates.

An “indigenous biological resource” is defined with reference to NEMBA, and includes resources that are wild, cultivated, or biotechnologically altered; any living or dead animal, plant or other organism; as well as their genetic material, derivatives and hybrids. It also includes any exotic organisms modified using indigenous genetic material or compounds. Human genetic material, unmodified exotic organisms, and certain specific indigenous resources, are excluded.

Nature has always been an inspiration and driving force for innovation, whether in the form of simple shapes and designs or complex compounds, found in nature. A patentable invention may not result from human ingenuity alone, and where an invention is based on natural resources or indigenous knowledge, this contribution must be acknowledged. In this way, biological diversity can be managed and conserved, and benefits can be shared fairly and equitably amongst relevant stakeholders.