Blocking biopiracy
The pressing concern to save the Amazon acquired an additional dimension recently. Six Latin American countries decided to collaborate to fight unauthorised commercial exploitation of the native species of the rainforests. Bolivia, Brazil, Ecuador, Peru, Surinam and Venezuela will now share technical information included in patents and jointly formulate plans to tackle the menace, says the Rio Declaration they signed in Brazil. They also agreed to harmonise their intellectual property laws.
The meeting was organised by the Amazon Cooperation Treaty Organization. The countries fear that outside researchers might patent drugs and other products derived from the native species of the Amazon and not share their benefits with them.