DUBAI // More than 70 experts from the region have gathered for a first-of-its kind workshop about a United Nations initiative aiming to curb biopiracy – the appropriation of biological or genetic material.
The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilisation aims to protect the rights of indigenous communities when traditional knowledge and resources are used for profit by other parties.
A supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity, the protocol would become active once 50 countries have ratified it.
To date, 37 countries including the UAE have done so, said Ahmed Al Hashimi, director of the ministry’s biodiversity department.
“The UAE is working on ratifying [the protocol] and we have the initial approval of the Government to go ahead,” said Mr Al Hashimi.
Once ratified, the protocol was expected to have an effect on industries such as pharmaceuticals, where there have been cases of large companies patenting the medicinal use of herbs used by traditional communities.
Held in the Middle East and North Africa for the first time, the five-day workshop has gathered delegates from neighbouring Arabian Gulf countries, as well as Egypt, Algeria, Lebanon, Sudan and Morocco.
A host of local experts – from the Ministry of Health, the Environment Agency – Abu Dhabi, and municipalities are also attending.
Mr Al Hashimi said the event aimed to increase local capacity on the issue.
Although its climate was harsh, the UAE had rich biodiversity in both terrestrial and marine ecosystems. Even for species that were present in other parts of the world, local populations, with their unique adaptations, had interesting lessons for scientists.
Corals in Arabian Gulf waters, for example, thrive in conditions such as high salinity and water temperatures that were thought to put the species on the brink of survival.
“Animals and plants adapt themselves to the harsh environment,” said Mr Al Hashimi. “Even for species that are present elsewhere, the genetics of the local populations we have here is different.”
The UAE is already working on preserving its genetic resources through the establishment of seed banks for plants. The ministry has also drafted a biodiversity strategy, setting objectives for this year until 2021, said Mr Al Hashimi.
vtodorova@thenational.ae
