What the heck? I never really had much idea and neither the specific interest to deal too much with ecological aspects of a sustainable environment, I rather focused my passion and energy on my favourite topics i.e. cultures and the social espects of sustainability, of course. Though strongly enganged to consider all aspects of diversity this also hasn't really tempted me, to start learning more about biodiversity, but as it goes a conversation or chat leads to the other, and there you go end up thinking, that there is never an end to so many important issues and interesting things to know about. Thanks to a fellow student who did a great job in presenting the most important points I wanted to pass this on to anyone who might be interested.
Biodiversity is covering all animal species, the flora, as well as the diversity of ecological systems and genetics.
Where there is high biologic diversity there is also a high cultural diversity. For 80% of the population within these areas this means a primar resources for their living and medical needs.
Indigenious communities therefore also play a key role in the preservation of a biodiverse environments. Conversely a loss of biodiversity also threatens the existence of indegenious communities.
From the perspective of the development cooperation
it is
not only a basic need indespensible to life but also a key component to fight poverty and also seen as a future potential to eventually participate in the world market.
From a (western) scientific perspective biodiversity is a commodity that is patentable and available to use. For the way of living in the industrialized world, the interest of biodiversity lies in the economic value, as you can read about big pharma industries which are seeking to gain further insights into local knowledge of mecidal treatments and the use of plants for that matter.
The knowledge about how to use these resources is regulated nowadays through IPR's - huh? It stands for
Intellectual Property Rights. In 1993 the
Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) of the United Nations came into force. 182 member countries signed it (without the US). With the newly set agreement in place, there were various principles and regulations put into life, e.g. quite interesting ones like that the development countries would be able to charge patent fees for the transfer of knowledge. Not much has been realized though, considering that most of the knowledge is taken from indegenious groups and they are the least concerned when it comes to any regulations on random patent fees, set by the UN.
Like this, big industries keep gaining insights that actually has been disclosed only to a small community. In case the transfer of any patent fees is performed (or also possible in return western knowledge useful to the others) it anyways ultimatly benefits the governments or mostlikely the political leader of a country.
Biopiracy is seen in different ways:
- as the unlawful acquirement of genetic resources or traditional knowledge
- For corporates or the WTO agreement: Usage of products without authorisation and/or payment of patent fees
- For NGO's patents, plants and animals are illegitimate and already a case of biopiracy
Consequences of Biopiracy are:
limited access to biodiversity, e.g. for the indegenious communities who have the traditional knowledge and are dependent on their einvironment- thread to traditional way of living - traditional healers might be prohibited to use their knowledge, even when it was beneficial to realize a patent - thread of health and medical primary health care - genetic contamination - thread for biodiversity and its genetic health, traditional forms of agriculture and security of worldwide nutrition.
Some Examples:-> The Nap Hal wheat, originally an Indian breeding of seeds.
In 2003 Monsanto patented this wheat, because it had a very particular good baking quality.
Since then Monsanto has the full propertyrights incl. control of trade, cultivation and the processing. Since then Indian peasants, who would like to cultivate Nap Hal as they always have, would have to pay patent fees und are not allowed to exchange or breed their own seeds.
-> The Hoodia - cactus, a plant that is used among the
San to lessen the feeling of hunger so that they can bear up walking for weeks through the Kalahari desert without drinking or eating.
The Corporate Business patented the active agent of this cactus and used it to create a revolutionary new diet-pill. Only after many years of fighting and thanks to international pressure, the San are nowadays benefitting from the earnings of the diet-pill.
The San are aboriginal people of Southern Africa. Their distinct hunter-gatherer culture stretches back over 20.000 years, and their genetic origins reach back over one million years. Recent research indicates that the San are the oldest genetic stock of contemporary humanity.
