In October Convention of Biological Diversity delegates will travel to Kunming for the delayed Conference of the Parties. In the hope my opinion matters, here’s a wish list of what I think needs to be accomplished in order to stimulate biodiversity.
End Nagoya Protocol: This is so complex and theoretical that no one understands what it means. This has effectively stopped the legal transfer of genetic material between people, across many scientific disciplines, and has brought the work of many people to a complete standstill. Not only should this be ended, but there should be no replacement protocol considered.
End or Adjust Worldwide Plant Health Restrictions: I have not been able to identify any working document justifying these restrictions. There doesn’t seem to be any peer-reviewed research suggesting such overly broad restrictions will have an impact on plant health, nor do there seem to be any strategy documents detailing what is attempting to be accomplished. If there are true plant health risks, and some measured restrictions might be of help mitigating these risks, then restrictions might be justified. Where there are no risks, there should be no restrictions. Where there are risks, these should be clearly explained and restrictions justified. Above all else, these restrictions should be open for democratic discussion and debate.
DNA testing and seed sample collection cannot be justified for reasons of plant health, and these should be stopped. Above all else, stop lying. If it’s not for reasons of plant health, be honest about what it’s for.
Stop DNA testing of seeds without permission of grower: DNA testing of seeds has enormous privacy implications for people using those seeds, just like DNA testing of people does. There should be no databases or analysis of those seeds unless requested by the user.
Stop the Open Source Seed Initiative: Seeds and documentation have been collected for this under misleading circumstances, and the people providing this are not aware of the true consequences of their participation. Return these seeds to the public domain.
Return all genetic materials to the public domain: Genetic materials that have been collected under the auspices of the CBD have been done so under misleading circumstances. It’s unlikely very many people have given their materials up with fully informed consent. These materials have always existed in the public domain, and the CBD has no right to them. The rules the CBD have placed on these materials makes them unusable for a great many people who could otherwise be working seriously on the greatest existential crisis the world has ever faced, global warming and biodiversity loss. The CBD should either be helping people with their work, or get out of the way. In the current direction, the CBD is a substantial hindrance.
Before the CBD these materials were always considered in the public domain. Collections were maintained and paid for by the companies making profits from their exploitation, and everyone had the right to receive free samples. We need to return to a similar situation, combined with collections funded with taxes imposed on the wealthy.
Stop all administrative burden: There should be no administrative burden for using biodiversity. No sMTA’s, no registrations or declarations. Biodiversity belongs to everyone, and no one has the right to demand paperwork just in order to use it.
Stop all patents on life: Genes exist in nature. Collecting and editing these genes do not constitute invention or innovation. Genes are naturally occurring and should not be subject to patents. Patents give too much power to the patent holders. It’s a ridiculous situation that governments must fund the research leading to COVID vaccinations, then companies are allowed to patent them and restrict their manufacture and use. It gives too much power to pharmaceutical companies to overcharge patients and ignore unprofitable treatments, especially in places without universal health care. It’s unreasonable to expect people who work to promote biodiversity to contend with patent restrictions. We need to pay for this sort of R&D with taxes on the world’s wealthy, or simply find another way.
It’s very possible millions of people in the world may die because patents on COVID vaccinations might prevent their efficient manufacture and distribution in poor countries. This must not be allowed to happen, and in any case must never happen again.
No payments for biodiversity services: The expectation of such payments was probably a factor in Bolsonaro’s encouraging the destruction of the Amazon, and there should be no payments to him for stopping what he’s doing or reversing the damage. Such payments should be discussed and debated in a democratic way, and paid for from taxes on the wealthy. There should be no automatic mechanisms that might stimulate biodiversity loss.
Existential crisis: Above all else remember the world and it’s biodiversity are in a real crisis. We all know we need to do a lot more than just stopping the release of greenhouse gases, we need to start removing CO2 from the atmosphere. If we aren’t going to wait for Elon Musk to develop the technology to suck all the CO2 out of the atmosphere, our only choice is to develop biodiversity in such a way that CO2 is sequestered in healthy farming soils, old growth forests and other living areas of biodiversity. Please get serious and act now.
