Biotechnology, IPRs and Biodiversity

Contents: Preface. Introduction. 1. Biotechnology. 2. Biotechnology laws and practices in some countries. 3. Biotechnology and Patent Law. 4. Biotechnology and TRIPS Agreement: different approaches between TRIPS and CBD. 5. Biodiversity and the need to preserve it. 6. Earlier agreements for the conservation of biodiversity. 7. Background to the signing of the convention on biodiversity. 8. Convention on biodiversity. 9. The Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. 10. International treaty on plant genetic resources for food and agriculture: further developments. Bibliography. Index.

"Developments in the field of biotechnology are necessary as they contribute to human welfare but, unchecked, these can also lead to the depletion of natural resources and the loss of biodiversity. IPRs and Patent Laws are increasingly being used by developed countries to appropriate the bio-resources of the developing world. Biotechnology, Patents and IPRs, and the conservation of biodiversity have been studied separately by scholars. The aim of this study is to examine the interaction between these three topical subjects. The authors underscore the need for a thorough analysis of the issue by observing:

The positive and negative aspects of biotechnological advances.  
The laws in several countries which regulate these advances to prevent their harmful effects. 
The demand for Patent Laws by the private industry, arising from the advances in medicine, public health and agriculture. 
Efforts by the FAO towards the conservation of indigenous-plant genetic resources.
The need to preserve biodiversity. 
Existing agreements on the conservation of flora and fauna and the protection of habitats and ecosystems.

This book discusses the background of the signing of the convention on Biodiversity, examines the various articles of CBD, and provides a detailed analysis on the Cartagena Protocol on Biodiversity while also dealing with the various meetings, discussions and treaties on the subject. Leading to a better understanding on this complex and complicated issue, especially from a developing country's point of view, this volume will serve, equally, students and scholars of international business, law, strategic management as well as lawyers, policy analysts and NGOs." (jacket)