Efforts on to patent NE bio-resources

GUWAHATI, February 14: As part of the ongoing effort to formulate National Biodiversity Strategy and Action Plan (NBSAP), process is on to formulate State-level strategy to protect and patent bio-resources in all the States of the Northeast India, one of the two biodiversity hotspots in the country. PC Bhattacharjee of Zoology Department, Gauhati University, informed The Assam Tribune that commendable progress had been made towards formulation of State-level strategy and action plan in Assam and Meghalaya while other NE States had just got on with the job. Bhattacharjee who is one of the members of the Technical and Policy Core Group (TPCG) under the NBSAP, is monitoring progress of work in NE States including Sikkim and Sunderban sub-State in West Bengal. He informed that the Government of India which must have a Biodiversity Bill ready by the year 2005 under the requirements of the WTO pact, was planning to prepare a national document on biodiversity strategy and action plan by the early part of the year 2002. The NBSAP is a 'must have' instrument to prevent bio-piracy in the country and protect the Plant Varieties and Farmers' Rights Bill passed in 1999. Bhattacharjee informed that the NBSAP was aimed at protecting all sorts of bio-resources including floral and faunal resources, tribal culture and practices in the country. Under the NBSAP, the Government of India has constituted a central steering committee headed by the Secretary of Ministry of Environment and Forest. The committee is funded by the UNDP. The Central steering committee has two working groups under it - the TPCG and Bio-tech Consortium of India. It is the TPCG which is monitoring formulation of strategy at States level while the consortium is entrusted with administrative responsibilities of the programme. In all the State barring Bihar, State-level nodal agencies which are NGOs, formed to shoulder the responsibility of formulating strategies for protection and preservation of bio-resources. The nodal agencies are required to constitute a steering committee with representatives from diverse fields including scientists forest officials, representatives of people and tribal communities, administration officials. Bhattacharjee said, "The whole exercise to formulate State-level biodiversity action plan revolves around intensive participation of the public. Therefore, the nodal agencies must conduct public hearings in their respective States to gather information on bio-resources". He observed that Northeast India being a tribal dominated one, there is hardly any document available on bio-resources including medicinal plants, tribal practices of the region. Therefore, according to him, it would not be an easy task to formulate comprehensive strategy to protect bio-resources of the region. The State-level strategy and action plan would be framed on the basis of public hearings conducted by nodal agencies and primary and secondary data available. The State level action plan will be base for future utilisation and protection of bio-resources through the custodians, the people who will be provided with proper support from the Government. While giving information about the progress made in north eastern States towards formulation of State-level strategy and action plan, Bhattacharjee lauded the work done by concerned nodal agencies and experts in Assam and Meghalaya. In Assam with Assam Science Society (ASS) as the nodal agency the work is progressing in the right direction in an organised way. The ASS have even bought out a proforma to collect data on bio-resources from the members of the public besides experts in the field. It has already conducted several public hearings in the State engaging its branch offices located in various parts of the State. M C Kalita is the co-ordinator in the Science Society in the project. Karbi Anglong hill district has been considered as a sub-State site in Assam. Work in the hill district is being co-ordinated by Aranyak, a State-based NGO, with an advisory committee. In Meghalaya, there has been tremendous progress in the work under the supervision of V Kharbuli, the in-charge of NEHU Biodiversity Cell. In the West Garo Hills sub-State site, the work is being co-ordinated by P G Momin of Geography Department in NEHU. The TPCG member, Bhattacharjee, however, called for a co-ordinated efforts with the neighbouring countries like Myanmar and Bangladesh which share some common bio-resources with the NE India, for effective protection of bio-diversity of the region. His argument is that even if some bio-resources found in NE region as well as neighbouring countries, are patented in India but not patented in those countries in the absence of a comprehensive legislation, the resources will continue to remain vulnerable for bio-piracy from those countries.