Articles
EL CONVENIO SOBRE LA DIVERSIDAD BIOLÓGICA COMO INSTRUMENTO PARA ESTIMULAR LA COOPERACIÓN INTERNACIONAL EN LA BIOPROSPECCIÓN – THE CONVENTION ON BIOLOGICAL DIVERSITY AS A TOOL FOR ENCOURAGING INTERNATIONAL COOPERATION IN BIOPROSPECTING
With the purpose of making effective this recognition, country Parties to the Convention agreed to facilitate access to the components accepting that they have potential economic value by defining them as genetic resources (Article 2). The Convention also agreed that user countries should share with the countries of origin the benefits derived from the use of these resources in agriculture, pharmacology and other industries (Article 1). Financial such as intellectual property rights (patents) as well as capacity building and transfer of advanced technology including biotechnology (Article 16) may also be considered as benefits derived from the utilization of genetic resources.
One of the important aspects for the implementation of the Convention is the international cooperation on aspects such as the inventory of the components of biological diversity established under Article 7. International cooperation in bioprospection for new pharmaceutical compounds may be one of the actions that can assist Parties to the Convention to comply with the mentioned article.
Among the incentives for the need to search for new compounds is the fact that only 5,000 species are today under use and it has been estimated that more than 35,000 species may well have actives compounds.
Also another incentive supporting a continuous search for new compounds is based on the observation that a large percentage (80%) in developing countries depend upon active compounds synthesized by plants.
In order to carry out successful actions for international cooperation between countries on bioprospection there is a need to have a framework.
Among the elements that may be important for developing these projects, a legal framework and the development of a market for the commercialization of the new compounds are needed.
For developing a market, the following aspects should be also taking into account: (1) economic information on markets such as ways and means of commercialization of these compounds, (2) guidance for the development of contract and programs for certification, (3) research and development programs, and (4) financial assistance from international organizations.
As a conclusion, it may be said that the purpose of recognizing social, scientific and economic values to genetic resources through bioprospecting is one of the actions to foster their conservation and sustainable use.