INDONESIA SEES URGENCY TO SIGN NAGOYA PROTOCOL by Fardah

     Jakarta, Feb 8, 2013 (ANTARA) - As a mega biodiversity nation, Indonesia sees the urgency to sign the Nagoya Protocol protect its rich genetic resources, particularly from thefts and piracy.

         "By ratifying the Protocol, Indonesia will have a firm legal basis to protect and preserve its genetic resources and traditional knowledge related to genetic resources," Indonesian Vice President Boediono said in Jakarta in November 2012.

          The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization (ABS) to the Convention on Biological Diversity is a supplementary agreement to the Convention on Biological Diversity.

         Adopted on 29 October 2010 in Nagoya, Japan, its objective is the fair and equitable sharing of benefits arising from the  utilization of genetic resources, thereby contributing to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity.

         In addition, the law will also lay a legal basis for the country to prevent theft and illegal utilization of biodiversity.

        The Nagoya Protocol sets out core obligations for its contracting Parties to take measures in relation to access to genetic resources, benefit-sharing and compliance.

         Indonesia signed the document of the Nagoya Protocol on May 11, 2011, bringing the number of signatories to 92 countries of the 193 member nations of the UN Convention.

         So far, only 14 countries have ratified the Protocol,which will enter into force on the ninetieth day after the date of deposit of the 50th instrument of ratification, acceptance, approval or accession.

         The Indonesian House of Representatives is scheduled to ratify the Nagoya Protocol through a law expected to be signed in May this year. Initially, it was planned to be signed late 2012.

          The parliament fully supported the plan to ratify the Nagoya Protocol to protect the national interests, Satya Widya Yudha, a member of the Parliament's Commission VII, said in Jakarta, on February 5, 2013.

         A working team has been set up by the parliament and its members visited Damai National Park in Bali recently to see genetic resources in the park.

           After ratifying the UN protocol, Indonesia should set up a database on the country's biological diversity, Satya stated.

         Satya, however, added that without financial and technological supports, the ratification of the Nagoya Pratocol would be meaningless to Indonesia.

         "If we don't have money and technology, we will be finished," he said. The government should allocate funds for laboratory tests and researches of the nation's biodiversity. And technology is needed to optimize the utilization of biodiversity for the improvement of the people's welfare, he added.

          Besides, Miranda Risang, a law expert of Panjajaran University, said Indonesia urgently needs to ratify the Nagoya Protocol to protect the rights of indigenous people and the traditional knowledge.

          Indonesia would not be able to deal with biopiracy before ratifying the protocol, she said recently in a media briefing on the Indonesian government's plan to ratify the Nagoya Protocol.

        Indigenous people are usually acting as protectors of biodiversity, therefore it is necessary to help the people who rely on biodiversity resources for their livelihoods.

         "The Nagoya Protocol concerns this matter and gives justice to genetic resources owners. So far, we have not realized that our biodiversity  have been stolen and used but we did not get the benefits," she said.

          A number of environmental groups had earlier aslo called on the government to ratify an international treaty that allows the country to reap the benefits of its own genetic resources.

         The environmental NGOs said that the treaty was good for Indonesia, a country rich in biodiversity.

         "It is of utmost importance that we immediately ratify the Nagoya Protocol because it will give us an umbrella policy to help save our biodiversity," said Puji Sumedi, the agro-ecosystem program officer at Yayasan KEHATI (Biodiversity Foundation).

         Indonesia has been dealing with many occurrences of genetic resource thefts, often under the guise of research, she said.

         For example, foreign researchers may collect samples of genetic resources under the guise of scientific research, when in fact he or she intends to use the resources for other purposes.

         Makarim Wibisono, the executive director of the ASEAN Foundation, said in Jakarta, early March 2011, said that Indonesia was among the first to sign and ratify the Nagoya Protocol because Indonesia is a country which has been striving for the adoption of the access and benefit sharing principle since a long time ago.

          "In the past, a country`s sovereignty only covers land, water and air, but now biodiversity is also included in the sovereignty concept," Makarim, senior diplomat, said.

          To implement the protocol, a national authority needs to be formed with the tasks of issuing permits and monitoring the genes used, including tracking the flow of genetic materials to avoid "bio-piracy," he stated.

         Indonesia is blessed with the greatest and most diverse biological resources in the world, after Brazil. The country¿s forests, estimated to cover over 130 million hectares, are the main home of Indonesia¿s biodiversity.

        About 17 per cent of all species in the world can be found in Indonesia, although it forms only 1.3 per cent of the Earth's land surface.  
    The country has around 515 mammal species, 122 species of butterflies, 600 species of reptiles, 1531 species of birds, 270 species of amphibians, and 28,000 flowering plants.***4***
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(T.F. Assegaf/A/F. Assegaf/A/O. Tamindael) 08-02-2013 09:59:14