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Concern over corporate control over resources

Special Correspondent

JAIPUR: The Food, Trade and Nutrition Coalition (FTN-Asia) on Tuesday called upon the Centre to address the issue of changing climate with the increasing corporate control of natural resources adversely affecting people's access to traditional knowledge and resource systems.

FTN-Asia, observing the International Day for Biological Diversity here, took exception to the Government encouraging the private sector to adopt untested technologies, such as genetic engineering in agriculture, which posed "unprecedented danger'' of genetic pollution.

"At the same time, development projects such as large dams and mining activities are leading to the destruction of huge habitats, which are repositories of biodiversity,'' said Krishna Kumar, Deputy Director (Policy) of Jaipur-based Centre for Community Economics and Development Consultants' Society, functioning as the FTN-Asia Secretariat.

Underlining the need for preservation of biological resources not only for safeguarding livelihoods but also for maintaining ecological balance, Mr. Kumar said the principle of national sovereignty in the U.N. Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) should now translate into community sovereignty to facilitate local-level decision making on resources.

Though India is a signatory to the CBD since 1994, the Biological Diversity Act came into being in the country only in 2002. Mr. Kumar pointed out that the Act was more an "access legislation'' assisting the trade in biological resources. "The law does not address or reverse the wave of privatisation and corporate control over people's resources,'' said Mr. Kumar.

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