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Bioprospecting and Biodiversity Conservation: What Happens When Discoveries are Made?
- Abstract::
- There has been extensive debate over whether private-sector bioprospecting for pharmaceutical compounds creates significant incentives for biodiversity conservation. We offer a case study of the discovery and commercial development of the anti-cancer drug taxol from the Pacific yew tree, highlighting neglected issues in the debate over bioprospecting and conservation incentives. The discovery of taxol and the search for taxol-like compounds illustrates how bioprospecting can substitute threats to biodiversity from over-harvesting for threats to biodiversity from habitat conversion. As this example illustrates, whether creation of market demand for genetic resources encourages or discourages biodiversity conservation depends crucially on underlying property rights.
- Author(s):
-
Frisvold, George , Day-Rubenstein, Kelly
- Subject(s):
-
medicinal plants , Taxus brevifolia , herbal medicines , antineoplastic agents , commercialization , product development , biodiversity , natural resource management , plant genetic resources , germplasm conservation , paclitaxel
- Description:
- Includes references
- Source:
- Arizona law review 2008, v. 50, no. 2
- Language:
- English
- Year:
- 2008
- Collection:
-
Journal Articles, USDA Authors, Peer-Reviewed
- File:
-
Download [PDF]
- Rights:
- Works produced by employees of the U.S. Government as part of their official duties are not copyrighted within the U.S. The content of this document is not copyrighted.
