Biodiversity:

• The totality of species, populations, communities

and ecosystems, both wild and domesticated that

constitute the life of any one area or of the entire

planet.

• It may also be defined as the variety and variability

among living organisms and the habitats in which

they live.

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• Biodiversity is usually considered at three different levels:
• Genetic diversity
• Species diversity
• Ecosystem diversity
Genetic diversity refers to the variation of genes within
species. This covers genetic variation between distinct
populations of the same species. It also covers genetic
variation within a population. Genetic diversity can be
measured using a variety of DNA-based and other
techniques.
• Genetic variation occurs to varying degrees in most
species of plants and animals. Ex. High diversity in
Indian Rhinos and Low diversity among cheetahs.
• Furthermore, the genetic make-up of an individual
species is not static, it changes as a result of both
internal and external factors.
• Species that inhabit large areas and interbreed through
out the whole area have a high rate of gene flow an
show few or no localized characteristics;
• However, species living in small or isolated areas have
low rates of gene flow and they adapt over time to
particular environment, they develop intro distinct,
localized populations.
• Genetic diversity refers to the differences in genetic
makeup between distinct species and to genetic
variations within a single species.
• This is least visible and least studied level of biological
diversity.
• Individuals belonging to a species share certain
characteristics, but genetic variations determine the
particular characteristics of individuals within the
species. Ex. Brown/black/blonde hair; blue/black/brown
eyes, tall/short.
• It also determines whether an individual animal or plant
has the ability to survive in a particular habitat or under
particular environmental conditions.
Species diversity is measured in relation to a given area. It
can be assessed in terms of the number of species or the
range of different types of species an area contains. So far,
1.7 million species have been described worldwide.
Estimates of the total number of species on Earth range
from 5 to 100 million.
•Major area of research on biodiversity is to study both
species rich groups (such as insects) and species-rich
areas (such as tropical rain forests) in order to provide a
more reliable picture of species richness patterns and a
basis for estimating the number of species on Earth.
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Ecosystem diversity encompasses the broad differences Diverse variety of ecosystems exist such as Tropical Rain
between ecosystem types, and the diversity of habitats Forests, Grasslands, Wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs,
and ecological processes occurring within each deserts, etc.
ecosystem type.
Different physical settings favor very different communities
of species.
The physical conditions are important to the organisms in
them and concept of genetic/species diversity is not very
useful they are considered in context of the ecosystems.
Ecosystems differ not only in the species composition of
their communities but also the physical environment.

Diverse variety of ecosystems exist such as Tropical Rain Consumptive use

Animals - 100% of animal protein from domesticated
Forests, Grasslands, Wetlands, mangroves, coral reefs, animals consumed by people comes from nine species:
deserts, etc. Cattle, pigs, sheep, goats, water buffaloes, chicken,
ducks, geese, turkeys
Value of Biodiversity
Plants – Only small proportion of world’s plants have been
used as food on a large scale.
•Consumptive use
About 50,000 species are thought to be edible, but only
•Productive use
about 150 species are used as human food.
•Medicines
90% of the world’s food comes from 15 species. Three of
•Fertilizers
them – Wheat, Corn and Rice – Supply 2/3rd of this
•Materials
amount, followed Potato.
•Cultural, social and ethical values
Although there are over 10,000 species of cereals, no new
•Aesthetic Value
ones have been brought into cultivation during the past
•Environmental Services
2000 years.

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Productive use •Environmental services
* Biopesticides •Protection of water resources
* Medicines •Soils formation and protection
Currently 121 generic durgs continue to be extracted •Nutrient storage and cycling
from plants and the numbers continue to grow. •Pollution breakdown and absorption
•Materials •Climatic stability
• Cultural, social and ethical values •Ecosystem maintenance
• Aesthetic Value

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 Biopiracy

Requirements and
1474 – the
senate of Venice
1873 – History
enacts a law for
the protection of
Louis Pasteur
receives the
power of patents
inventors first patent on a 1997 –
living organism 1973 – introduction of • criteria of patentability
signing of resowing-fees
in the USA – novelty
the European in Germany
(purified yeast) Patent – inventiveness and
Agreement
– usefulness
1500 1600 1700 1800 1900

1950 1960 1970 1980 1990 2000 • deadline for raising an objection lasts 9 months
• valid for 20 years
1623/24 – first • second registration of the same kind is impossible in another country
law for the Until 2001
protection of 1988 – US- the EPO granted • costs for a patent are about ` 1,50,000
intellectual patent office 267 patents on plants,
property rights grants the first 69 on animals and
in England patent on a 962 on human genes.
mammal
(cancer mouse)

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Basmati
Cupuaçu
Hoodia
Cupuaçu
• similar to cocoa
• traditionally used for juice, ice-
cream, marmelade and gateaus
• the Japanese corporation Asahi
registered the name and applied
for a patent for its use
• protest: chocolate made of
Cupuaçu is sold by third-world-
stores
• not successful yet
Origin of the word “biopiracy”
• for the first time introduced by the RAFI in
1993
• Definition of the ETC Group:
• "the appropriation of the knowledge and
genetic resources of farming and
indigenous communities by individuals or
institutions seeking exclusive monopoly
control (usually patents or plant breeders'
rights) over these resources and
knowledge.”
Hoodia-Cactus
• growing in the Kalahari
desert
• used as an appetite
suppressant by the San tribe
• was patented in order to sell
diet pills
• Benefit Sharing: Pfizer and
Phytopharm will pay 6 %
of all royalties (only
0.003% of net to sales)
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 Basmati
• 27 varieties grown in India

• patent by RiceTec. Inc. in Alvin,

Texas, USA with support by the
IRRI
(International Rice Research Institute)

• India won the trial

be-tt-e-r

International agreements
• ITPGRFA (International Treaty on Plant Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture)
• CBD (Convention on Biological Diversity)
• WIPO (World Intellectual Property Organization)

• UPOV (International Union for the Protection of New Varieties of Plants) w-o-r-s-e

• TRIPS (Trade Related Aspects of Intellectual Property rights)

• DIRECTIVE 98/44/EC on the legal protection of
biotechnological inventions

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Vandana Shiva Richard Stallman
• “Biopiracy deprives us in three ways: It is indeed wrong for biotech
1. It creates a false claim to novelty and companies to convert the
invention, even though the knowledge has world's natural genetic
evolved since ancient times as part of the resources into private
collective and intellectual heritage of India. monopolies - but the wrong
2. It divests scarce biological resources to is not a matter of taking
monopoly control of corporations thus someone else's rightful
depriving local communities the benefits of property, it is a matter of
its use. privatizing what ought to be
3. It creates market monopolies and excludes public. These companies are
the original innovators (farmers) from their not biopirates. They are
rightful share to local, national and global bioprivateers.
markets.”

Thank You!