45
f. Undertake long-term research into the importance of biodiversity for the functioning of
ecosystems and the role of ecosystems in producing goods, environmental services and other
values supporting sustainable development, with particular reference to the biology and
reproductive capacities of key terrestrial and aquatic species, including native, cultivated and
cultured species; new observation and inventory techniques; ecological conditions necessary for
biodiversity conservation and continued evolution; and social behaviour and nutrition habits
dependent on natural ecosystems, where women play key roles. The work should be undertaken
with the widest possible participation, especially of indigenous people and their communities,
including women; 1/
g. Take action where necessary for the conservation of biological diversity through the in situ
conservation of ecosystems and natural habitats, as well as primitive cultivars and their wild
relatives, and the maintenance and recovery of viable populations of species in their natural
surroundings, and implement ex situ measures, preferably in the source country. In situ measures
should include the reinforcement of terrestrial, marine and aquatic protected area systems and
embrace, inter alia, vulnerable freshwater and other wetlands and coastal ecosystems, such as
estuaries, coral reefs and mangroves; 6/
h. Promote the rehabilitation and restoration of damaged ecosystems and the recovery of threatened
and endangered species;
i. Develop policies to encourage the conservation of biodiversity and the sustainable use of
biological and genetic resources on private lands;
j. Promote environmentally sound and sustainable development in areas adjacent to protected areas
with a view to furthering protection of these areas;
k. Introduce appropriate environmental impact assessment procedures for proposed projects likely to
have significant impacts upon biological diversity, providing for suitable information to be made
widely available and for public participation, where appropriate, and encourage the assessment of
the impacts of relevant policies and programmes on biological diversity;
l. Promote, where appropriate, the establishment and strengthening of national inventory, regulation
or management and control systems related to biological resources, at the appropriate level;
m. Take measures to encourage a greater understanding and appreciation of the value of biological
diversity, as manifested both in its component parts and in the ecosystem services provided.
(b) Data and information
15.6. Governments at the appropriate level, consistent with national policies and practices, with the
cooperation of the relevant United Nations bodies and, as appropriate, intergovernmental organizations, and
with the support of indigenous people and their communities, non-governmental organizations and other
groups, including the business and scientific communities, and consistent with the requirements of
international law, should, as appropriate: 7/
a. Regularly collate, evaluate and exchange information on the conservation of biological diversity
and the sustainable use of biological resources;
b. Develop methodologies with a view to undertaking systematic sampling and evaluation on a
national basis of the components of biological diversity identified by means of country studies;
c. Initiate or further develop methodologies and begin or continue work on surveys at the appropriate
level on the status of ecosystems and establish baseline information on biological and genetic
resources, including those in terrestrial, aquatic, coastal and marine ecosystems, as well as
inventories undertaken with the participation of local and indigenous people and their
communities;
45
d. Identify and evaluate the potential economic and social implications and benefits of the
conservation and sustainable use of terrestrial and aquatic species in each country, building upon
the results of country studies;
e. Undertake the updating, analysis and interpretation of data derived from the identification,
sampling and evaluation activities described above;
f. Collect, assess and make available relevant and reliable information in a timely manner and in a
form suitable for decision-making at all levels, with the full support and participation of local and
indigenous people and their communities.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
15.7. Governments at the appropriate level, with the cooperation of the relevant United Nations bodies and,
as appropriate, intergovernmental organizations, and, with the support of indigenous people and their
communities, non-governmental organizations and other groups, including the business and scientific
communities, and consistent with the requirements of international law, should, as appropriate:
a. Consider the establishment or strengthening of national or international capabilities and networks
for the exchange of data and information of relevance to the conservation of biological diversity
and the sustainable use of biological and genetic resources; 7/
b. Produce regularly updated world reports on biodiversity based upon national assessments in all
countries;
c. Promote technical and scientific cooperation in the field of conservation of biological diversity
and the sustainable use of biological and genetic resources. Special attention should be given to
the development and strengthening of national capabilities by means of human resource
development and institution-building, including the transfer of technology and/or development of
research and management facilities, such as herbaria, museums, gene banks, and laboratories,
related to the conservation of biodiversity; 8/
d. Without prejudice to the relevant provisions of the Convention on Biological Diversity, facilitate
for this chapter the transfer of technologies relevant to the conservation of biological diversity and
the sustainable use of biological resources or technologies that make use of genetic resources and
cause no significant damage to the environment, in conformity with chapter 34, and recognizing
that technology includes biotechnology; 2/ 8/
e. Promote cooperation between the parties to relevant international conventions and action plans
with the aim of strengthening and coordinating efforts to conserve biological diversity and the
sustainable use of biological resources;
f. Strengthen support for international and regional instruments, programmes and action plans
concerned with the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological
resources;
g. Promote improved international coordination of measures for the effective conservation and
management of endangered/non-pest migratory species, including appropriate levels of support for
the establishment and management of protected areas in transboundary locations;
h. Promote national efforts with respect to surveys, data collection, sampling and evaluation, and the
maintenance of gene banks.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
15.8. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing
the activities of this chapter to be about $3.5 billion, including about $1.75 billion from the
international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude
41
estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms,
including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and
programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
15.9. Specific aspects to be addressed include the need to develop:
a. Efficient methodologies for baseline surveys and inventories, as well as for the
systematic sampling and evaluation of biological resources;
b. Methods and technologies for the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable
use of biological resources;
c. Improved and diversified methods for ex situ conservation with a view to the long-term
conservation of genetic resources of importance for research and development.
(c) Human resource development
15.10. There is a need, where appropriate, to:
a. Increase the number and/or make more efficient use of trained personnel in scientific and
technological fields relevant to the conservation of biological diversity and the
sustainable use of biological resources;
b. Maintain or establish programmes for scientific and technical education and training of
managers and professionals, especially in developing countries, on measures for the
identification, conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological
resources;
c. Promote and encourage understanding of the importance of the measures required for the
conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable use of biological resources at all
policy-making and decision-making levels in Governments, business enterprises and
lending institutions, and promote and encourage the inclusion of these topics in
educational programmes.
(d) Capacity-building
15.11. There is a need, where appropriate, to:
a. Strengthen existing institutions and/or establish new ones responsible for the
conservation of biological diversity and to consider the development of mechanisms such
as national biodiversity institutes or centres;
b. Continue to build capacity for the conservation of biological diversity and the sustainable
use of biological resources in all relevant sectors;
c. Build capacity, especially within Governments, business enterprises and bilateral and
multilateral development agencies, for integrating biodiversity concerns, potential
benefits and opportunity cost calculations into project design, implementation and
evaluation processes, as well as for evaluating the impact on biological diversity of
proposed development projects;
d. Enhance the capacity of governmental and private institutions, at the appropriate level,
responsible for protected area planning and management to undertake intersectoral
coordination and planning with other governmental institutions, non-governmental
organizations and, where appropriate, indigenous people and their communities.
44
Agenda 21 – Chapter 16
ENVIRONMENTALLY SOUND MANAGEMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
16.1. Biotechnology is the integration of the new techniques emerging from modern biotechnology with
the well-established approaches of traditional biotechnology. Biotechnology, an emerging
knowledge-intensive field, is a set of enabling techniques for bringing about specific man-made
changes in deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), or genetic material, in plants, animals and microbial
systems, leading to useful products and technologies. By itself, biotechnology cannot resolve all the
fundamental problems of environment and development, so expectations need to be tempered by
realism. Nevertheless, it promises to make a significant contribution in enabling the development of,
for example, better health care, enhanced food security through sustainable agricultural practices,
improved supplies of potable water, more efficient industrial development processes for transforming
raw materials, support for sustainable methods of afforestation and reforestation, and detoxification
of hazardous wastes. Biotechnology also offers new opportunities for global partnerships, especially
between the countries rich in biological resources (which include genetic resources) but lacking the
expertise and investments needed to apply such resources through biotechnology and the countries
that have developed the technological expertise to transform biological resources so that they serve
the needs of sustainable development. 1/ Biotechnology can assist in the conservation of those
resources through, for example, ex situ techniques. The programme areas set out below seek to foster
internationally agreed principles to be applied to ensure the environmentally sound management of
biotechnology, to engender public trust and confidence, to promote the development of sustainable
applications of biotechnology and to establish appropriate enabling mechanisms, especially within
developing countries, through the following activities:
a. Increasing the availability of food, feed and renewable raw materials;
b. Improving human health;
c. Enhancing protection of the environment;
d. Enhancing safety and developing international mechanisms for cooperation;
e. Establishing enabling mechanisms for the development and the environmentally sound
application of biotechnology.
PROGRAMME AREAS
A. Increasing the availability of food, feed and renewable raw materials
Basis for action
16.2. To meet the growing consumption needs of the global population, the challenge is not only to
increase food supply, but also to improve food distribution significantly while simultaneously
developing more sustainable agricultural systems. Much of this increased productivity will need to
take place in developing countries. It will require the successful and environmentally safe application
of biotechnology in agriculture, in the environment and in human health care. Most of the investment
in modern biotechnology has been in the industrialized world. Significant new investments and
human resource development will be required in biotechnology, especially in the developing world.
Objectives
16.3. The following objectives are proposed, keeping in mind the need to promote the use of appropriate
safety measures based on programme area D:
a. To increase to the optimum possible extent the yield of major crops, livestock, and
aquaculture species, by using the combined resources of modern biotechnology and
conventional plant/animal/micro-organism improvement, including the more diverse use
40
of genetic material resources, both hybrid and original. 2/ Forest product yields should
similarly be increased, to ensure the sustainable use of forests; 3/
b. To reduce the need for volume increases of food, feed and raw materials by improving
the nutritional value (composition) of the source crops, animals and micro-organisms,
and to reduce post-harvest losses of plant and animal products;
c. To increase the use of integrated pest, disease and crop management techniques to
eliminate overdependence on agrochemicals, thereby encouraging environmentally
sustainable agricultural practices;
d. To evaluate the agricultural potential of marginal lands in comparison with other
potential uses and to develop, where appropriate, systems allowing for sustainable
productivity increases;
e. To expand the applications of biotechnology in forestry, both for increasing yields and
more efficient utilization of forest products and for improving afforestation and
reforestation techniques. Efforts should be concentrated on species and products that are
grown in and are of value particularly for developing countries;
f. To increase the efficiency of nitrogen fixation and mineral absorption by the symbiosis of
higher plants with micro-organisms;
g. To improve capabilities in basic and applied sciences and in the management of complex
interdisciplinary research projects.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
16.4. Governments at the appropriate level, with the assistance of international and regional organizations
and with the support of non-governmental organizations, the private sector and academic and
scientific institutions, should improve both plant and animal breeding and micro-organisms through
the use of traditional and modern biotechnologies, to enhance sustainable agricultural output to
achieve food security, particularly in developing countries, with due regard to the prior identification
of desired characteristics before modification, taking into account the needs of farmers, the socio-
economic, cultural and environmental impacts of modifications and the need to promote sustainable
social and economic development, paying particular attention to how the use of biotechnology will
impact on the maintenance of environmental integrity.
16.5. More specifically, these entities should:
a. Improve productivity, nutritional quality and shelf-life of food and animal feed products,
with efforts including work on pre- and post-harvest losses;
b. Further develop resistance to diseases and pests;
c. Develop plant cultivars tolerant and/or resistant to stress from factors such as pests and
diseases and from abiotic causes;
d. Promote the use of underutilized crops of possible future importance for human nutrition
and industrial supply of raw materials;
e. Increase the efficiency of symbiotic processes that assist sustainable agricultural
production;
42
f. Facilitate the conservation and safe exchange of plant, animal and microbial germ plasm
by applying risk assessment and management procedures, including improved diagnostic
techniques for detection of pests and diseases by better methods of rapid propagation;
g. Develop improved diagnostic techniques and vaccines for the prevention and spread of
diseases and for rapid assessment of toxins or infectious organisms in products for human
use or livestock feed;
h. Identify more productive strains of fast-growing trees, especially for fuel wood, and
develop rapid propagation methods to aid their wider dissemination and use;
i. Evaluate the use of various biotechnology techniques to improve the yields of fish, algal
and other aquatic species;
j. Promote sustainable agricultural output by strengthening and broadening the capacity and
scope of existing research centres to achieve the necessary critical mass through
encouragement and monitoring of research into the development of biological products
and processes of productive and environmental value that are economically and socially
feasible, while taking safety considerations into account;
k. Promote the integration of appropriate and traditional biotechnologies for the purposes of
cultivating genetically modified plants, rearing healthy animals and protecting forest
genetic resources;
l. Develop processes to increase the availability of materials derived from biotechnology
for use in food, feed and renewable raw materials production.
(b) Data and information
16.6. The following activities should be undertaken:
a. Consideration of comparative assessments of the potential of the different technologies
for food production, together with a system for assessing the possible effects of
biotechnologies on international trade in agricultural products;
b. Examination of the implications of the withdrawal of subsidies and the possible use of
other economic instruments to reflect the environmental costs associated with the
unsustainable use of agrochemicals;
c. Maintenance and development of data banks of information on environmental and health
impacts of organisms to facilitate risk assessment;
d. Acceleration of technology acquisition, transfer and adaptation by developing countries
to support national activities that promote food security.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
16.7. Governments at the appropriate level, with the support of relevant international and regional
organizations, should promote the following activities in conformity with international agreements or
arrangements on biological diversity, as appropriate:
a. Cooperation on issues related to conservation of, access to and exchange of germ plasm;
rights associated with intellectual property and informal innovations, including farmers'
and breeders' rights; access to the benefits of biotechnology; and bio-safety;
b. Promotion of collaborative research programmes, especially in developing countries, to
support activities outlined in this programme area, with particular reference to
cooperation with local and indigenous people and their communities in the conservation
44
of biological diversity and sustainable use of biological resources, as well as the fostering
of traditional methods and knowledge of such groups in connection with these activities;
c. Acceleration of technology acquisition, transfer and adaptation by developing countries
to support national activities that promote food security, through the development of
systems for substantial and sustainable productivity increases that do not damage or
endanger local ecosystems; 4/
d. Development of appropriate safety procedures based on programme area D, taking
account of ethical considerations.
Means of implementation
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
16.8. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of implementing
the activities of this programme to be about $5 billion, including about $50 million from the
international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-magnitude
estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial terms,
including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies and
programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means*
(c) Human resource development
16.9. Training of competent professionals in the basic and applied sciences at all levels (including
scientific personnel, technical staff and extension workers) is one of the most essential components
of any programme of this kind. Creating awareness of the benefits and risks of biotechnology is
essential. Given the importance of good management of research resources for the successful
completion of large multidisciplinary projects, continuing programmes of formal training for
scientists should include managerial training. Training programmes should also be developed, within
the context of specific projects, to meet regional or national needs for comprehensively trained
personnel capable of using advanced technology to reduce the "brain drain" from developing to
developed countries. Emphasis should be given to
* * * *
* See paras. 16.6 and 16.7.
* * * *
encouraging collaboration between and training of scientists, extension workers and users to produce
integrated systems. Additionally, special consideration should be given to the execution of programmes for
training and exchange of knowledge on traditional biotechnologies and for training on safety procedures.
(d) Capacity-building
16.10. Institutional upgrading or other appropriate measures will be needed to build up technical,
managerial, planning and administrative capacities at the national level to support the activities in
this programme area. Such measures should be backed up by international, scientific, technical and
financial assistance adequate to facilitate technical cooperation and raise the capacities of the
developing countries. Programme area E contains further details.
B. Improving human health
Basis for action
16.11. The improvement of human health is one of the most important objectives of development. The
deterioration of environmental quality, notably air, water and soil pollution owing to toxic chemicals,
hazardous wastes, radiation and other sources, is a matter of growing concern. This degradation of
40
the environment resulting from inadequate or inappropriate development has a direct negative effect
on human health. Malnutrition, poverty, poor human settlements, lack of good-quality potable water
and inadequate sanitation facilities add to the problems of communicable and non-communicable
diseases. As a consequence, the health and well-being of people are exposed to increasing pressures.
Objectives
16.12. The main objective of this programme area is to contribute, through the environmentally sound
application of biotechnology to an overall health programme, to: 5/
a. Reinforce or inaugurate (as a matter of urgency) programmes to help combat major
communicable diseases;
b. Promote good general health among people of all ages;
c. Develop and improve programmes to assist in specific treatment of and protection from
major non-communicable diseases;
d. Develop and strengthen appropriate safety procedures based on programme area D,
taking account of ethical considerations;
e. Create enhanced capabilities for carrying out basic and applied research and for
managing interdisciplinary research.
Activities
(a) Management-related activities
16.13. Governments at the appropriate level, with the assistance of international and regional
organizations, academic and scientific institutions, and the pharmaceutical industry, should, taking
into account appropriate safety and ethical considerations:
a. Develop national and international programmes for identifying and targeting those
populations of the world most in need of improvement in general health and protection
from diseases;
b. Develop criteria for evaluating the effectiveness and the benefits and risks of the
proposed activities;
c. Establish and enforce screening, systematic sampling and evaluation procedures for drugs
and medical technologies, with a view to barring the use of those that are unsafe for the
purposes of experimentation; ensure that drugs and technologies relating to reproductive
health are safe and effective and take account of ethical considerations;
d. Improve, systematically sample and evaluate drinking-water quality by introducing
appropriate specific measures, including diagnosis of water-borne pathogens and
pollutants;
e. Develop and make widely available new and improved vaccines against major
communicable diseases that are efficient and safe and offer protection with a minimum
number of doses, including intensifying efforts directed at the vaccines needed to combat
common diseases of children;
f. Develop biodegradable delivery systems for vaccines that eliminate the need for present
multiple-dose schedules, facilitate better coverage of the population and reduce the costs
of immunization;
42
g. Develop effective biological control agents against disease-transmitting vectors, such as
mosquitoes and resistant variants, taking account of environmental protection
considerations;
h. Using the tools provided by modern biotechnology, develop, inter alia, improved
diagnostics, new drugs and improved treatments and delivery systems;
i. Develop the improvement and more effective utilization of medicinal plants and other
related sources;
j. Develop processes to increase the availability of materials derived from biotechnology,
for use in improving human health.
(b) Data and information
16.14. The following activities should be undertaken:
a. Research to assess the comparative social, environmental and financial costs and benefits
of different technologies for basic and reproductive health care within a framework of
universal safety and ethical considerations;
b. Development of public education programmes directed at decision makers and the
general public to encourage awareness and understanding of the relative benefits and
risks of modern biotechnology, according to ethical and cultural considerations.
(c) International and regional cooperation and coordination
16.15. Governments at the appropriate levels, with the support of relevant international and regional
organizations, should:
a. Develop and strengthen appropriate safety procedures based on programme area D,
taking account of ethical considerations;
b. Support the development of national programmes, particularly in developing countries,
for improvements in general health, especially protection from major communicable
diseases, common diseases of children and disease-transmitting factors.
Means of implementation
16.16. To achieve the above goals, the activities need to be implemented with urgency if progress
towards the control of major communicable diseases is to be achieved by the beginning of the next
century. The spread of some diseases to all regions of the world calls for global measures. For more
localized diseases, regional or national policies will be more appropriate. The achievement of goals
calls for:
a. Continuous international commitment;
b. National priorities with a defined time-frame;
c. Scientific and financial input at global and national levels.
(a) Financing and cost evaluation
16.17. The Conference secretariat has estimated the average total annual cost (1993-2000) of
implementing the activities of this programme to be about $14 billion, including about $130 million
from the international community on grant or concessional terms. These are indicative and order-of-
magnitude estimates only and have not been reviewed by Governments. Actual costs and financial
terms, including any that are non-concessional, will depend upon, inter alia, the specific strategies
and programmes Governments decide upon for implementation.
(b) Scientific and technological means
42
16.18. Well-coordinated multidisciplinary efforts involving cooperation between scientists, financial
institutions and industries will be required. At the global level, this may mean collaboration between
research institutions in different countries, with funding at the intergovernmental level, possibly
supported by similar collaboration at the national level. Research and development support will also
need to be strengthened, together with the mechanisms for providing the transfer of relevant
technology.
(c) Human resource development
16.19. Training and technology transfer is needed at the global level, with regions and countries having
access to, and participation in exchange of, information and expertise, particularly indigenous or
traditional knowledge and related biotechnology. It is essential to create or enhance endogenous
capabilities in developing countries to enable them to participate actively in the processes of
biotechnology production. The training of personnel could be undertaken at three levels:
a. That of scientists required for basic and product-oriented research;
b. That of health personnel (to be trained in the safe use of new products) and of science
managers required for complex intermultidisciplinary research;
c. That of tertiary-level technical workers required for delivery in the field.
(d) Capacity-building*
C. Enhancing protection of the environment
Basis for action
16.20. Environmental protection is an integral component of sustainable development. The environment
is threatened in all its biotic and abiotic components: animals, plants, microbes and ecosystems
comprising biological diversity; water, soil and air, which form the physical components of habitats
and ecosystems; and all the interactions between the components of biodiversity and their sustaining
habitats and ecosystems. With the continued increase in the use of chemicals, energy and non-
renewable resources by an
* * * *
* See programme area E.
* * * *
expanding global population, associated environmental problems will also increase. Despite increasing
efforts to prevent waste accumulation and to promote recycling, the amount of environmental damage
caused by overconsumption, the quantities of waste generated and the degree of unsustainable land use
appear likely to continue growing.
16.21. The need for a diverse genetic pool of plant, animal and microbial germ plasm for sustainable
development is well established. Biotechnology is one of many tools that can play an important role
in supporting the rehabilitation of degraded ecosystems and landscapes. This may be done through
the development of new techniques for reforestation and afforestation, germ plasm conservation, and
cultivation of new plant varieties. Biotechnology can also contribute to the study of the effects
exerted on the remaining organisms and on other organisms by organisms introduced into
ecosystems.
Objectives
16.22. The aim of this programme is to prevent, halt and reverse environmental degradation through the
appropriate use of biotechnology in conjunction with other technologies, while supporting safety
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