Ch. 11— Biological Diversity and Development Assistance • 305 



institutions as well. Ethnobotanical surveys and 

 research represent another promising avenue 

 for encouraging greater recognition of the im- 

 portance and opportunites of maintaining bio- 

 logical diversity. Wildlife-based tourism and 

 other wildlife utilization enterprises offer fur- 

 ther possibilities. However, these should be ap- 

 proached with some caution to ensure that ben- 

 efits actually accrue to the country and account 

 for the interests of local populations (9). 



Loss of agricultural genetic resources in de- 

 veloping countries is a pronounced concern. 

 Addressing it will depend on enhancing capac- 

 ity in national agricultural programs and in- 

 creasing awareness of the potential of germ- 

 plasm to contribute to development needs. 

 Continued U.S. support for International Agri- 

 cultural Research Centers, especially the Inter- 

 national Board for Plant Genetic Resources, 

 serves an important role in this regard. Bilateral 

 programs through the U.S. Department of Agri- 

 culture, such as the one that currently exists 

 with Mexico, could also be promoted. Account- 

 ing for the unique contributions of traditional 

 agricultural systems will also need special at- 

 tention. Ongoing research provides strong evi- 

 dence on the importance and potential of these 

 high diversity, low input systems in address- 

 ing the particular needs and limitations of most 

 developing-country agriculturalists (42]. 

 Greater support for research in investigating 



and improving indigenous agricultural systems 

 is seen as a high priority for development assis- 

 tance. Increasing attention is also being ad- 

 dressed at incorporating traditional agroeco- 

 systems within biosphere reserves programs 

 (30). 



The prospects and promises of biotechnol- 

 ogy have prompted a few developing countries 

 to place a premium on developing their capac- 

 ities in this field. Although biotechnology's con- 

 tributions to biological diversity maintenance 

 is mixed, the incentives it may provide devel- 

 oping countries to protect and develop their 

 genetic resources argues for supporting devel- 

 oping-country expertise. Access to technical 

 procedures, however, is generally restricted to 

 countries with well-developed capabilities. A 

 large number of developing countries could ap- 

 ply these technologies to exploit genetic re- 

 sources if access to information, training, and 

 technology were improved. Microbiological Re- 

 search Centers, otherwise known as MIRCENS 

 (see ch. 10), place a strong emphasis on train- 

 ing developing-country scientists. The recently 

 created International Center for Genetic Engi- 

 neering and Biotechnology, established by the 

 United Nations Industrial Development Orga- 

 nization, also has as its main function the dis- 

 semination of these technologies to developing 

 countries. 



CHAPTER 11 REFERENCES 



1. Aiken, S.R., and Leigh, C.H., "On the Declin- 

 ing Fauna of Peninsular Malaysia in the Post- 

 Colonial Period," Ambio 14(l):15-22, 1985. 



2. Baldi, P., Spivy-Weber, F., and Chapnick, B., 

 Foreign Assistance Funding Alternatives 

 (Washington, DC: National Audubon Society, 

 1986). 



3. Bodo, I., "Report on the FAO/UNEP Training 

 Courses on Animal Genetic Resources Conser- 

 vation and Management," Animal Genetic Re- 

 sources Conservation by Management, Data 

 Banks, and Training (Rome: Food and Agri- 

 culture Organization of the United Nations, 

 1984). 



4. Cohn, )., "Creating a Conservation Ethic," 

 Americas, November-December 1985. 



5. Colhns, M., "International Inventory and Mon- 

 itoring for the Maintenance of Biological 

 Diversity," OTA commissioned paper, 1985. 



6. Conservation Foundation, "Third World Prog- 

 ress Is Painfully Slow," Conservation Founda- 

 tion Letter (Washington, DC: 1986). 



7. Dasmann, R.F., "Ecological Principles for Eco- 

 nomic Development: Ten Years Later," paper 

 presented to lUCN 16th technical meeting, Ma- 

 drid, Snain, Nov. 5-14. 1984. 



8. Dias, C, president, International Center for 

 Law in Development, New York, personal 

 communications, May 1986. 



9. Eltringham, S.K., Wildlife Resources and Eco- 

 nomic Development (New York: )ohn Wiley & 

 Sons, 1984). 



