Emerging Consequences of Biotechnology: Biodiversity Loss and IPR Issues

The commercialization of biotechnology has resulted in an intensive search for new biological resources for the purposes of increasing food productivity, medicinal applications, energy production, and various other applications. Although biotechnology has produced many benefits for humanity, its applications have also resulted in some undesirable consequences such as diminished species biodiversity as well as diminished agrobiodiversity, environmental contamination, and the exploitation of intellectual property rights and patents in appropriating the biodiversity of developing countries.

This book discusses the role of biological, ecological, environmental, ethical, and economic issues in the interaction between biotechnology and biodiversity, using different contexts. No other book has discussed all of these issues in a comprehensive manner. Of special interest is their impact when biotechnology is shared between developed and developing countries, and the lack of recognition of the rights of indigenous populations and traditional farmers in developing countries by large multinational corporations.

Contents: Impact of GM Crops on Biodiversity and the Environment; Biodiversity Loss; Bioprospecting or Biopiracy?; Global Appeal Against Patents on Conventional Seeds and Crops; Patenting Life; Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights; Impact of GMOs in Developing Countries; Agricultural Biodiversity; GMOs and the Law; Human Rights and Ethical Issues.