Biological diversity: A multipolar resource in a multipolar world

Abstract

The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) was negotiated in the context of a "bipolar" dynamic between developing countries (the South, perceived as rich in genetic resources but poor in the technology needed to exploit them) and developed countries (the North, perceived as technology-rich but resource-poor). The CBD established an "access and benefit-sharing" framework for countries to gain greater benefits through control of access to their genetic resources. As implemented, however, this framework has increased the costs of international transactions to develop genetic resources, threatening to create an "anticommons" that inhibits rather than encourages beneficial development. Genetic resources have always been distributed in a multipolar fashion that cuts across the North/South dichotomy. Technological capacity is increasingly multipolar as certain developing countries advance in sectors like pharmaceuticals and biotechnology. In another multipolar trend, advances in biotechnology are expanding the range of exploitable resources available in many countries and areas outside national jurisdiction. New technologies are also driving the dissemination of the capacity to exploit genetic resources across nonstate actors, which ultimately may call into question the relevance of the CBD's framework as it has evolved to date. A shift in emphasis from regulation to partnerships could be a better way to foster mutually beneficial international collaborations to study biological diversity (biodiversity) and develop genetic resources.