0 Bali’s genetic resources vulnerable to bio-piracy

Being a top tourist destination visited by millions of foreigners from all over the world has one major downside: Bad people can easily gain access to this resort island. Some of these people are determined to get their hands on items worth more than gold. A senior community leader has warned that Bali is very vulnerable to “bio-piracy”, the theft of genetic resources and traditional knowledge. “As an international tourist destination, many foreign tourists from all over the world come to the island. 

Most Balinese have a friendly nature and a welcoming attitude toward outsiders, especially foreign tourists. “To some extent this trait has placed our genetic resources in a vulnerable position. By posing as tourists, some people can gain entry to our island, move freely and steal our genetic resources,” scholar I Ketut Sumarta said in a recent discussion at the Wisnu Foundation in Kerobokan. Sumarta is the secretary of the Grand Council of Customary Villages (MUDP), an umbrella organization for nearly 1,500 customary villages across Bali. 

Customary villages, known locally as desa pekraman, are autonomous social organizations that play the role of custodian and executor of traditional norms and laws. Unlike desa dinas, the state’s administrative villages, which draw their power from formal authority given by the state, desa pekraman maintain their influence through their function as the sole organizers of temple rituals and rites of passage for their members. He warned that the Balinese and their traditional institutions should be more vigilant in protecting their genetic resources and traditional knowledge. 

Stricter screening must be applied to those who want to gain access to those resources. ”Unfortunately, most Balinese extend an almost unchecked respect to foreigners and yield to whatever requests the foreigners make,” Sumarta said. Despite its small size, Sumarta stressed, Bali possessed a large number of genetic resources, from a native species of snake fruit famous for its sweet taste to various kinds of medicinal plants. The island also has a large repository of traditional knowledge stored in dried palm manuscripts. The discussion, which was attended by indigenous people from scores of customary villages, concluded that Bali needed to conduct a comprehensive inventory of genetic resources. 

”As of now, we don’t have any comprehensive database of our genetic resources. We are agreed that we need to build a database that records all the genetic resources we have,” Wisnu Foundation founder, I Made Suarnatha, said. Wisnu is one of the oldest NGOs in Bali. In its early years, the foundation focused on garbage and waste management. Nowadays, it works with villages across Bali to create models of sustainable, community-based tourism. The discussion was facilitated by the Environment Ministry. “The ministry has agreed to facilitate the training and inventory process,” Suarnatha said. 

The local genetic resources database, he added, was needed as guidance for the country in implementing the Nagoya protocol, an international treaty that Indonesia plans to ratify soon. The Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic Resources and the Fair and Equitable Sharing of Benefits Arising from their Utilization defines how countries access genetic resources and share the benefits of those resources with the countries of origin. Indonesia acceded to the Nagoya Protocol on May 11, 2011, although the government has yet to ratify it. 

The Nagoya Protocol aims to implement the objectives laid out by the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity (UNCBD). The UNCBD is supported by 193 nations. “The treaty is good for Indonesia as a country rich in biodiversity, particularly Bali,” Suarnatha said. Arief Yuwono, the Environment Ministry’s deputy for environmental degradation and climate change, said that the Nagoya Protocol was expected to be a comprehensive and effective international regulation in protecting our genetic resources. 

“The protocol also guarantees profit sharing for Indonesia as a country rich in genetic resources,” Arif said. Arif added that the Nagoya Protocol would be an instrument to prevent bio-piracy . “As an island with rich genetic resources, Bali also needs protection from bio-piracy,” he said.

source : bali daily