BIODIVERSITY MARKETS: research questions for Social Sciences

Abstract

Since the end of the 1980s, the development of genetic engineering and the extension of patents to life forms have suggested that new lucrative uses of natural substances might arise, and that new demands for these resources might appear especially in the pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries. The Convention on Biological Diversity, adopted during the Rio Conference in 1992, was an attempt to reconcile theconservation of biodiversity with the claims of indigenous communities who hold these resources through the institution of markets. Its purpose was to put an end to biopiracy and to secure the fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. The promotion of these “biodiversity markets” has been supported by the free trade movement of the 1980s. These markets have aroused speculations. But beyond slogans, what about the commoditization of life forms today? Which forms does it take in the North and in the South? Is the legal and political framework settled by the Convention on Biological Diversity still relevant in the face of scientific progress and technical change? Does it prove adapted to the complexity of real life situations? Our research illustrates the way social sciences address global environmental issues.