Whilst watching a recent documentary on Netflix, I was made aware of biopiracy.
To be completely honest with you, I like to think I am up on all things environmental, but this one was a relatively new one even for me.
It would seem though, that this has been going on for some time now and it is being more and more of an issue each and every year.
So what is biopiracy?
As genetic research becomes more sophisticated, so does our ability to use plants and animals to develop new drugs or modify crops to meet food security needs.Often, in the search for new bioresources, researchers draw on local people’s traditional knowledge about the properties of a particular plant, animal or chemical compound. When researchers use traditional knowledge without permission, or exploits the cultures they’re drawing from – it’s called biopiracy.
Biopiracy happens when researchers or research organisations take biological resources without official sanction, largely from less affluent countries or marginalised people.
Biopiracy is not limited to drug development. It also occurs in agricultural and industrial contexts. Indian products such as the neem tree, tamarind, tumeric and Darjeeling tea have all been patented by foreign firms for different lucrative purposes.
Biopiracy is not likely to disappear any time soon either. As climate change threatens, many large agribusinesses and researchers are patenting drought-resistant, heat-resistant, and salt-resistant genes from plants for future use in crop species.
While patents were first used to protect inventions and stimulate innovation, many anti-biopiracy activists and some academic and scientific circles are pushing for changes in the system, as it is now thought to hinder research in many important areas.
Biopiracy does not seem to get the attention it deserves as some countries and communities are taken advantage of. As always, we like to try and shine a light on issues that are important to us and we will be posting updates on changes to the law and further developments as these countries and communities try to put an end to biopiracy.
Source: https://theconversation.com/biopiracy-when-indigenous-knowledge-is-patented-for-profit-55589