Zugang zu Pflanzengenetischen Ressourcen für die ... - Genres

Positionspapier zum Zugang zu und zur Weitergabe von PGRFA
at ATSAF, composed of representatives from public and private research as well as NGOs and
representatives from different ministries (BMZ, BML and BMU). During the second half of 1995,
the working group focussed primarily on the issue of access to plant genetic resources for food
and agriculture and benefit sharing. In summary, these are the major recommendations:
– For the majority of plant genetic resources relevant for the food and agricultural sector the
prospects for raising significant funds are very limited. With the exception of specific genetic
traits, commercial demand for PGRFA will be generally low and market prices will therefore
be low, too. On the other hand, most countries depend on plant genetic resources from other
regions in securing their national food supply. Furthermore, the pedigrees of modern plant
varieties are very complex and thus the contribution of a single genetic resource to thetotal
value of the final product after some years of breeding work is difficult to estimate.
– Bilateral agreements are not considered approriate for most of the plant genetic resources for
food and agriculture due to the administrative burden of monitoring different materials, each
covered by different terms and conditions. Bilateral agreements should be restricted to specific
cases where additional benefits accrue through the use of specific genetic traits.
– Therefore a multilateral system for conservation and sustainable use of plant genetic resources
for food and agriculture is probably most appropriate, where many countries share part of the
total genepool. The conservation and sustainable use of the widest possible spectrum of
genetic diversity is preferable and considered the best safeguard against unknown futurerisks.
– The advantages accruing from such a multilateral system are greatest when a large number of
members contributes to the system. Therefore bilateral agreements should be the excep-tion
and not the rule.
– The proposed multilateral system builds upon the institutional approach by expanding the
existing Ex-situ Network and combines it with a mechanism for benefit sharing (Verrechnungsmechanismus)
which enables not only financial contributions but also contributions in
kind, be it training, technologies or improved plant material.
– Members of such a system would primarily be states, which would regulate the contribution
of the private industry to the benefit sharing mechanism through appropriate national legislation
or regulations. The system could also include independent organisations.
– The members of a multilateral system will benefit in several ways:
– free access to a far greater range of plant genetic resources than contributed for scientifc
and breeding purposes;
– access to a wider range of information, training possibilities, relevant technologies and improved
materials;
– better safeguarding and long term conservation through sustainable use by combiningpublic
and private as well as bilateral and multilateral efforts.
– The conditions for access to the system by non-members still need to be defined.
In addition to these discussions about access to genetic ressources and benefit sharing, the work-