Why we must empower people to conserve Biodiversity

Conserving blodiversity has in recent years become a concern of the global elite because of the commercial potential of the emerging biotechnologies. But much of this blodiversity resides In the Third World tropics which are currently being drained of their biological and mineral wealth. This process goes on because the costs of the resultant degradation are entirely passed on to the poor of the Third World countryside who perforce have to depend on resources gathered or produced with their own labour from their surroundings. The elite have always found a substitute whenever a particular resource, or a particular locality, has been exploited to exhaustion. Indeed, given their record, commercial interests are likely to abandon the new found concern for conservation once they acquire control over adequate levels of genetic resources in ex situ storages. Long term conservation of biodiversity must therefore be attempted through empowering and suitably rewarding people of the Third World countryside whose well being is linked to the sustainable use of biological resources and conservation of the biodiversity in their own localities.

Annual report 1996 - North Pacific Marine Science Organization (PICES). Fifth meeting, Nanaimo, British Columbia, Canada, October 11-20, 1996

Proceedings of the Fifth Annual Meeting Agenda Report of Opening Session Report of Governing Council Meetings Reports of Science Board and Committees Science Board Working Group 5: Bering Sea (Final Report) Working Group 9: Subarctic Pacific Monitoring Report of the First Meeting Report of the Second Meeting Biological Oceanography Committee Working Group 11: Consumption of Marine Resources by Marine Birds and Mammals Fishery Science Committee Working Group 12: Crabs and Shrimps Marine Environmental Quality Committee Working Group 8: Practical Assessment Methodology Physical Oceanography and Climate Committee Working Group 10: Circulation and Ventilation in the Japan Sea /East Sea and its Adjacent Areas Technological Committee on Data Exchange Finance and Administration Report of Finance and Administration Committee Assets on 31st of December, 1995 Income and Expenditures for 1995 Budget for 1997 Composition of the Organization Officers, Delegates, Finance and Administration Committee, Science Board, Secretariat, Scientific and Technical Committees List of Participants List of Acronyms (Document has 163 pages.)