ISSN (Print) - 0012-9976 | ISSN (Online) - 2349-8846

Articles by K Divakaran PrathapanSubscribe to K Divakaran Prathapan

Convention on Biological Diversity

A response to “Critiquing Narrow Critiques of Convention on Biological Diversity’’ (Alphonsa Jojan et al, EPW, 3 November 2018) discusses how the Convention on Biological Diversity puts restrictions on research and warns about the unintended consequences of the regulations designed to prevent global inequalities in the use of genetic resources which may end up promoting global injustice.

Biological Diversity: A Common Heritage

As human biology is in no way determined by the political boundaries of nation states, tags of nationality cannot be attached to plants or animals or the genetic diversity that man has been conserving over generations. Developing nations should realise that a system of royalties for use of genetic resources through multinational arrangements would only heighten the mistrust and chaos. Despite being associated with geopolitical entities historically, genetic resources should be treated as a common heritage in the best interests of humanity.

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