Thailand to protect biological resources

APINYA WIPATAYOTIN

Thailand is set to conduct its first-ever nationwide survey and inventory of biological resources in a bid to protect precious resources from bio-piracy and boost the local economy

The country has been recognised as one of the world's richest in terms of biodiversity, but state agencies have failed to preserve and properly use its valuable resources, said Natural Resources and Environment permanent secretary Petipong Pungbun na Ayudhya.

''A systematic database and good management of biological resources will not only help the country protect our resources from acts of bio-piracy, but also bring economic benefits to all sectors including local communities, businesses and scientific circles,'' he said.

The ministry's newly established Biodiversity-Based Economy Development Office will be tasked with conducting a thorough survey and compiling a database on biological resources such as plants, animals, microbes and traditional wisdom. The office will also act as a facilitator for fair access to resources by local and international organisations.

''If we can come up with a complete list of biological resources and a proper preservation plan, we are confident that the problem of bio-piracy will be diminished,'' he said, adding that the agency also plans to patent all newly-discovered biological resources and traditional wisdom to ensure that benefits are shared fairly between the country and their users.

The agency plans to run a pilot project on studying biodiversity and preservation in 10 communities next year.

Mr Petipong said villagers would play an important role in the survey and register resources found in their areas.

He said biodiversity has a crucial role in economic development. The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) says around 74% of medicines widely used nowadays have been abstracted from plants and microbes, valued at over 40 billion dollars a year. Most of the raw materials are found in tropical forests in developing countries.

According to the UNDP, Thailand is home to around 10,000 species of plants, or 4.3 % of the world's plant species.

Mr Petipong said fertile biodiversity could bring economic well-being to local communities. He cited a study in Ban Thung Yang, in the northern province of Lamphun, which found that villagers could earn more than a million baht a year from biological resources found in their community forest