Chemistry International
Vol. 24, No. 5
September 2002
Highlights
from Pure and Applied Chemistry
Molecular
Basis of Biodiversity, Conservation, and Sustained Innovative Utilization
(IUPAC Technical Report)
by A.
E. Fischli, U. K. Pandit, and D. StC. Black
Pure and Applied
Chemistry, Vol. 74, No. 4, pp. 697-702 (2002)
Biodiversity
is a complex issue requiring global, coordinated attention from various
branches of natural and social sciences, but especially from physical
and life sciences. One salient aspect of biodiversity is chemical in
origin. The unique and diverse molecular libraries provided by the planetary
flora, fauna, and microorganisms have been a source of immense practical
value to mankind.
Different
parts of the globe have varying endemic biological resources, so international
cooperation is required to ensure that the benefits of global bioresources
can be distributed fairly and equitably. Today, the same regions rich
in bioresources may not be in an ideal position to extract the maximum
benefit from those assets. The necessity for mutually advantageous global
cooperation in the utilization of bioresources is obvious.
Innovative
utilization of bioresources links society, governments, academia, and
industry. They are the main stakeholders in both preservation and utilization
of bioresources, investing in and at the same time benefiting from the
products and services originating from those assets. Because molecular
systems or information at the molecular level are used higher up in
the value chain, the chemical community is called upon to contribute
to the discussion of the various scientific, economic, and ethical issues
that are associated with this sort of international cooperation. To
this end, IUPAC can and must play a crucial role in developing suitable
recommendations, which can also be submitted to the International Council
for Science.
In this
report, recommendations are presented for international cooperation
between academia and industry on molecular biodiversity. The following
recommendations are based on discussions in workshops/meetings held
in Amsterdam (the Netherlands), Belo Horizonte (Brazil), Bangkok (Thailand),
Kunming (China), and Antalya (Turkey) involving national and international
representatives of relevant organizations.
Link to full text of the recommendations
www.iupac.org/publications/pac/2002/7404/7404x0697.html