ENVIRONMENTALLY
SOUND MANAGEMENT OF BIOTECHNOLOGY
16.1.
Biotechnology is the integration of the new techniques emerging from modern
biotechnology with
the
well-established approaches of traditional biotechnology. Biotechnology, an
emerging
knowledge-intensive
field, is a set of enabling techniques for bringing about specific man-made
changes in
deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), or genetic material, in plants, animals and
microbial
systems, leading
to useful products and technologies. By itself, biotechnology cannot resolve
all the
fundamental
problems of environment and development, so expectations need to be tempered by
realism.
Nevertheless, it promises to make a significant contribution in enabling the
development of,
for example,
better health care, enhanced food security through sustainable agricultural
practices,
improved supplies
of potable water, more efficient industrial development processes for transforming
raw materials,
support for sustainable methods of afforestation and reforestation, and
detoxification
of hazardous
wastes. Biotechnology also offers new opportunities for global partnerships,
especially
between the
countries rich in biological resources (which include genetic resources) but
lacking the
expertise and
investments needed to apply such resources through biotechnology and the
countries
that have
developed the technological expertise to transform biological resources so that
they serve
the needs of
sustainable development. 1/ Biotechnology can assist in the conservation of
those
resources
through, for example, ex situ techniques. The programme areas set out below
seek to foster
internationally
agreed principles to be applied to ensure the environmentally sound management
of
biotechnology, to
engender public trust and confidence, to promote the development of sustainable
applications of
biotechnology and to establish appropriate enabling mechanisms, especially
within
developing
countries, through the following activities:
a. Increasing the
availability of food, feed and renewable raw materials;
b. Improving
human health;
c. Enhancing
protection of the environment;
d. Enhancing
safety and developing international mechanisms for cooperation;
e. Establishing
enabling mechanisms for the development and the environmentally sound
application of
biotechnology.
