england: bioprospecting
English Nature, the UK government agency
responsible for wildlife conservation, is
reported to be negotiating with research
institutions to assess biodiversity in
English Sites of Special Scientific
Interest (SSSIs) for their commercial
potential. The suggestion has raised some
concerns in the UK, especially since the
government has no official position on the
issue of biopiracy, nor any legal framework
to deal with it.
The now widespread phenomenon of
biopiracy, is causing considerable concern,
especially in the biodiversity-rich
countries of the tropics. Typically,
agreements made between communities with
traditional knowledge of biodiversity and
the multinational corporations who have
exploited such knowledge via patents and
other intellectual property regimes, have
proved grossly inequitable. There are many
ethical concerns relating to patents on
life forms, while it is clear that the
benefits for conservation arising from the
commercial exploitation of genetic material
have been grossly overstated. With these
and other issues in mind, clarification is
needed of the legal and ethical framework
that will be used to conduct the proposed
screening of English biodiversity and the
subsequent use of the information
produced.
Many other countries have either
established, or are establishing, legal
frameworks at the national level to govern
access and benefit sharing in relation to
the commercial exploitation of
biodiversity. Such a framework must be
agreed on before any officiallysanctioned
process of bioprospecting can commence.
While the UK has no clear approach, it is
noteworthy that many poorer countries are
already taking steps to ensure a legal
framework is in place.
Friends of the Earth believe that the
process of bioprospecting raises many
controversial matters of principle, as well
as practical legal questions. The official
position on these questions of principle
and law should be made very clear through a
democratic process before any steps are
made toward the commercial exploitation of
the country’s natural biodiversity. A
national debate is needed, followed by the
establishment of an adequate ethical and
legal framework for bioprospecting in
England.
more information
Friends of the Earth England,
Wales and Northern Ireland
