A review of access and benefitsharing for biological control what does it mean for New Zealand

Abstract

The Convention on Biological Diversity promotes equitable and respectful sharing of access to and benefits from genetic resources Parties to the convention have agreed to negotiate and develop an Access and BenefitSharing (ABS) regime to take effect in 2010 Currently some countries have restricted access to their biological resources To consider issues pertaining to biological control the Global IOBC (International Organisation for Biological Control of Noxious Animals and Plants) has established a Commission on Biological Control and Access and Benefit Sharing The FAO (Food and Agriculture Organisation) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (GRFA) has invited the IOBC Commission to prepare a report on the case for biological control agents The global exchange of biological control agents is considered critical to food security and sustainable agriculture and reaching a consensus on this issue is a high priority The process for this and the importance of protecting New Zealands interests in biological control is discussed in this paper