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5. Biological Complexity

If biodiversity were just about preserving unique biological specimens, life would be easy. But throw in the need to preserve natural mixes of species- ecosystems - and all the politics required to initiate international action, and you get a new hybrid - biological complexity (biocomplexity). International negotiators at meetings like the recent Biodiversity Convention in Jakarta are finding that practical species preservation requires coming to grips with a host of additional issues once considered at best only tangentially related. Whereas 'biodiversity' arose from predominantly Northern calls for conservation, 'biocomplexity' has expanded the dialogue to include Southern concerns like farmers' rights, intellectual property rights (IPRs), financialand technology transfers to poor regions, and genetic resource 'ownership'. UN delegates call this trend the 'maturing' of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD). In line with this, delegates have become increasingly emboldened to address issues beyond the CBD's traditional borders. Special attention is being paid to the UN Commission for Sustainable Development's Inter-governmental Panel on Forests and the World Trade Organization's Committee on Trade and Environment.
[beyond biodiversity, coming to grips with ecosystems and North-South wealth transfers & property rights]

Word Watch biocomplexity n. biodiversity within an ecosystem and social systems context.
biosafety n. the safe transfer, handling and use of any 'living modified organism' (LMO) resulting from biotechnology.

Books
In Depth

United Nations Environment Programme. Global biodiversity assessment. Cambridge, GB: Cambridge University Press, 1995. 1140 p.



Not Hot - Preserving Biodiversity Without Ecosystems

Zoos, pets and cages. Collections, conservatoria and herbaria. Admittedly these all make for fine educational resources, but they can hardly substitute for healthy natural ecosystems. Nature's 'real thing' can take centuries to evolve, gaining stability and sophistication from complex interrelationships. The scale distinction is not unlike the proverbial whole elephant versus patch of elephant skin. Simple collections of biological samples, while amply fascinating in and of themselves, do not begin to capture the bigger picture.

Bulb

Virtual Ideas

The Earth Negotiation Bulletin coverage of the Convention on Biological Diversity.