Consultation: ‘Conservation, biodiversity strategies vital to protect genetic resources’

Two-day workshop on access to genetic resources and benefit sharing organised.

National conservation and biodiversity strategies are vital in finding out ways and means to protect Pakistan’s indigenous wealth of genetic resources. This was stated by Intellectual Property Organisation (IPO) Chairperson Hameedullah Jan Afridi during the concluding session of a two-day consultative workshop on “Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Law,” said a press release issued by IPO in Islamabad on Thursday.

Afridi stressed for expediting the process of promulgation of Biodiversity Access to Genetic Resources and Benefit Sharing (Act/ABS) law. This, he said, would help resolve the complex issues of access to genetic resources besides formulation of an effective mechanism to benefit the stakeholders and the beneficiaries.

Pakistan’s biological resources need to be preserved, he said, and issues relating to the subject were raised during the Conference of Parties of Convention on Biological Diversity at Nagoya last year.

He said research organisations would also contribute for promotion of research in related topics. He assured IPO’s complete support to regulate the proposed draft of ABS and said it should be finalised after detailed discussions with the provinces as well as the stakeholders so that its implementation could be ensured at grass-roots level. He said that IPO legislation about the Geographical Indication is also in process.

International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Islamabad Manager Mahmood Akhtar Cheema said that brain storming sessions were held in the presence of experts and effective proposals had been presented to make the ABS draft more representative.

Forests Inspector General (IG) Mehmood Nasir said that inclusion of certain clauses of ABS law in IPO regularity affairs can help the protected use of natural resources. Dr Aftab Saeed talked about the regulation of derivatives.

The session was organised by IG Forests, Planning and Development Division and IUCN.



Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2011.