Developing countries call for sharing of biodiversity benefits

Environmental ministers from Asia, Africa and South America yesterday called for greater efforts in creating international laws that allow for fair-sharing of commercial profits from plant and animal resources found in poorer countries.

The call is an extension of on-going international efforts to try and formulate an international regime that provides for the sharing of financial benefits that Western governments and corporations reap from medicines and other products derived from the resource-rich developing nations.

Environmental ministers and senior officials from 15 developing countries met on the sidelines of the two-week conference to oppose what they called "biological piracy" by Western governments and companies.

"We would now like wealthy countries to be committed to implement action," said Alberto Cardenas, Mexico's Minister of Environment and Natural Resources.

The meeting included officials from Bolivia, Brazil, China, Costa Rica, Colombia, Ecuador, India, Indonesia, Kenya, Malaysia, Peru, Philippines, South Africa and Venezuela.

"We want to ensure that developing countries don't end up as the losers, even though we are the ones who are rich with the natural resources," said Malaysian Minister of Science, Technology and the Environment Law Hieng Ding.

The conference brings together more than 200 government delegates, scientists and environmentalists from 188 countries who will be discussing biodiversity conservation issues.