Any effort to regulate the commercial utilisation of biological resources should be aimed at facilitating future conservation and not as a punitive measure, UN expert and former chairman of the National Biodiversity Authority Balakrishna Pisupati has said.
Dr. Balakrishna, who is here as a consultant to the Kerala State Biodiversity Board (KSBB) on implementing the Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) mechanism in the State, proposed an innovative approach to bring multi-stakeholder groups on board. ABS, he said, was a facilitating mechanism and not a regulatory measure. “As a biodiversity-rich country, we cannot adopt an approach that will prevent the use of biological resources,” he said.
The KSBB has identified 2,694 industrial units that will be required to pay a certain percentage of their profits for access to biological resources and associated traditional knowledge. The levy is to be deposited in the State Biodiversity Fund and utilised for conservation.
Sharing benefits
Talking to The Hindu after winding up the discussions with KSBB officials, Dr. Balakrishna said the overall objective of the National Biodiversity Act was not to make money out of the ABS mechanism but to ensure conservation by sharing the benefits accruing from commercial utilisation of biological resources.
Highlighting the need to take stakeholders into confidence, he warned against getting bogged down by litigation. “Leaving the decision-making to the judiciary will not be good for conservation. The time and money spent on handling legal challenges can be better utilised for conservation, partnership and development,” Dr. Balakrishna said.
He said Kerala would benefit from an ABS policy. “It would provide a picture of the direction in which the State wants to go with the ABS framework ,” he added.
Dr. Balakrishna proposed a differential approach for the implementation of the ABS mechanism in various sectors.
“You cannot have a fixed percentage formula across the sectors because the margins and volume of an Ayurvedic drug manufacturer are different from that of a biotechnology company or a firm manufacturing neutraceuticals.”
He added that there were other options such as access fee for conservation and non-monetary benefits that could also be explored through an innovative partnership with stakeholders.
2,694 units to pay for access to resources
Kerala will benefit from ABS policy
