Emerging Consequences of Biotechnology: Biodiversity Loss and Ipr Issues

When biotechnology is shared between developing and developed countries, ostensibly in the name of developing stable food supplies for example, what are the ethical, economic, political, environmental and social consequences for both? Dronamraju (Foundation for Genetic Research) describes how biotechnological breakthroughs in food production, medicine, and energy have resulted in certain benefits but also have caused diminished species biodiversity and agrobiodiversity, environmental contamination, and the exploitation of intellectual property rights and patents. He describes the complex and multidisciplinary involved in the interaction between biotechnology and biodiversity, as well as the lack of recognition of the rights of indigenous populations and traditional farmers in developing countries, particularly by large multinational corporations. The result is a strong argument for regulation of the creation and distribution of genetically modified materials, particularly when developing countries are in essence used to test the safety and commercial potential of such materials. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)