Biodiversity Prospecting in the Seas around Verata Tikina,Fiji

by University of the South Pacific

What's at Stake?

Fiji has one of the best developed coral reef systems in the Pacific. Today, more than even the much touted rainforests, reefs are attracting attention as a source of novel chemicals that may hold cures for cancer, AIDS and drug resistant bacteria. Yet coral reefs are under severe pressure. Destructive natural processes such as reef bleaching and hurricanes have increased in recent years -- possibly due to global warming. Some fishers use poisons to stun and catch fish which kill the corals. Land-based activities such as forestry and agriculture lead to siltation which smother the reefs -- the foundations of the ecosystems.

The growing interest from pharmaceutical companies to prospect for chemicals with medicinal potential is a new source of potentially significant economic returns from marine resources. In general, the pharmaceutical company compensates the country for the intellectual property rights contained in its biodiversity in return for exclusive rights to screen the biodiversity for pharmaceutical compounds. If such screening leads to the development of a major drug, the agreements provide the host country with a share of the profits.

The University of the South Pacific (USP) and BCN are trying to set up bioprospecting agreements which benefit local communities rather than operating exclusively at the national level. Effective community-based coastal management can support biodiversity preservation as well as sustainable resource use. Fiji is a relatively small country and the project participants have close contacts with the appropriate government officials so the project has a good potential to influence government policy regarding prospecting issues.

	1997 Update
Successes and Challenges
"OK...So What?"

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