The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : “Loss of biodiversity more rapid now”

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Jan 19, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

“Loss of biodiversity more rapid now”

Special Correspondent

CHENNAI: Biodiversity is being lost more rapidly now than at any time in the past several million years, said S. Kannaiyan, chairman, National Biodiversity Authority of India here on Friday.

Inaugurating a three-day conference on ‘Biodiversity, Bio-resources and Biotechnology for Sustainable Livelihood of Rural Community’, Dr. Kannaiyan said biologists believed that about 60,000 of the world’s 2.40 lakh plant species and more vertebrates and insect species could become extinct within the next 30 years if the same trend continued. The current rate of extinction demanded immediate concerted efforts for conservation of biodiversity for future generations, he said. It had been recognised that valuable and productive biological resources were crucial for sustainable economic development, he said.

The rural population always believed that the biodiversity was important for their livelihood and survival. Industries such as pharmaceuticals, cosmetics, pulp and paper, construction, agriculture, horticulture and waste treatment were dependent on biological resources. About 80 per cent of the population in developing countries relied on plants as the only source of medicine, he said. Bio-safety issues needed to be looked at critically before the release of genetically modified crops, he said. Similarly, the genetically modified crops were the only answer to increase the production and productivity and to solve malnutrition problem in the country, he added. Concerted effort, team spirit, high technology and understanding the basics of biotechnology were the need of the hour, said M. A. Vijayalakshmi, director, Centre for Bio Separation Technology, VIT University, Vellore.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Tamil Nadu