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Could biodiversity negotiations stifle research?

Source: Science

30 January 2009 | EN

Several outstanding issues in the negotiations could hamper research

Flickr/ChanguaCoast
ConservationAction

Scientists must speak up in the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) access and benefit-sharing negotiations — or risk losing access to critical biological resources, say Sikina Jinnah and Stefan Jungcurt.

Several outstanding issues in the negotiations will impact academics, say the authors.

Issues up for discussion include whether samples extracted exclusively for noncommercial academic research will be exempt from the CBD regulations; whether benefit-sharing rules will cover intermediate 'derivative' products as well as raw materials; whether biological material accessed before 1992 will be included; and whether we need international standards or individually negotiated contracts.

Scientists have much to offer the debate and there are several ways of getting involved, suggest the authors.

Raising awareness of how the negotiations could affect academic research is the first step. But scientists should also engage more actively in the negotiation process by lobbying governments, providing advice, attending conferences and meeting home-country CBD delegates.

With the CBD negotiations due to end in 2010, the opportunity for scientific input is closing fast.

Comments (1)

KrishKafie ( China (including Hong Kong, Taiwan and Macao) )

2 February 2009

"Scientists must speak up in the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) access and benefit-sharing negotiations — or risk losing access to critical biological resources", I feel we in Nepal are actually in the crossroad. The loss of biodiversity in one hand and the need to adopt scientific means of taking care of our growing population is as puzzling as the question itself. Hoever, it has to be understood that CDB regulation should not be a powerfull tool used against region like ours, or else its whole objective may take long time to reach objective conclusion. Research and welfare of the planet should overide the hidden conspiricy and loophole seeking greedy corporates.

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