Biodiversity can tackle poverty'<\/p>\n
Moch. N. Kurniawan, The Jakarta Post, Jakarta<\/p>\n
People in Indonesia may be familiar with a traditional drug from
\na plant root in Kalimantan called pasak bumi that is said to
\nenhance sexual performance, but many seemingly prefer to use the
\ninternational brand viagra.<\/p>\n
Indeed, pasak bumi which is taken from a root of a tree called
\nEurychoma Latifolia, contains aphrodisiac, a substance that can
\nstimulate a man's libido.<\/p>\n
The tree only grows in Kalimantan, Sumatra and Malaysia.<\/p>\n
\"This (preference for foreign drugs) is part of people's lack
\nof respect for the country's rich biodiversity, which we must
\nstart changing,\" Liana Bratasida, Deputy State Minister for the
\nEnvironment in charge of environmental conservation told the
\nJakarta Post.<\/p>\n
Liana was speaking on the eve of World Biodiversity Day, which
\nfalls on Thursday.<\/p>\n
The 2003 Biodiversity Day carries the theme: Biodiversity and
\nPoverty Alleviation, Challenges for Sustainable Development.<\/p>\n
Indonesia, the second largest biodiversity in the world after
\nBrazil, is capable of producing natural cosmetics such as
\nshampoo, lipstick and various staple foods such as rice and corn.<\/p>\n
But only a few local cosmetics producers like Martha Tilaar
\nand Mustika Ratu that have developed natural cosmetics in the
\ncountry, Liana said.<\/p>\n
Indonesia has also relied too much on rice and failed to
\ndevelop other food alternatives. Ironically, Indonesia must now
\nimport rice at about two million tons per year as its rice
\nproduction fails to meet domestic demand.<\/p>\n
The last time Indonesia reached self sufficiency in rice was
\nin the early 1980s, which earned then President Soeharto world
\nacclaim from the Food and Agriculture Organization.<\/p>\n
Other commercial items that could be produced here due to the
\ncountry's rich biodiversity are handicrafts and other products,
\naccording to Liana.<\/p>\n
\"It is now crucial to launch a campaign among our people that
\nthe country's biodiversity can be used for various purposes
\nranging from food security to medication,\" she said.<\/p>\n
\"If people could start the rich biodiversity for their daily
\nneeds or even manage it in large scale production, it could help
\nlift people out of poverty.\"<\/p>\n
At present, about 40 million people in Indonesia live in
\npoverty and are unemployed.<\/p>\n
Therefore, Liana said, the government would need to formulate
\noperational regulations to identify species that could be further
\nprocessed on a large scale.<\/p>\n
The regulations should also administer profit sharing between
\nthe person who discovered the species and developed the product
\nand regional governments.<\/p>\n
Liana admitted that although the government has issued Law No.
\n5\/1990 on conservation of living resources and their ecosystem
\nand Law No. 5\/1994 on the ratification of the UN Convention on
\nBiological Diversity, the laws were poorly implemented.<\/p>\n
Capacity building of human resources should be the next step,
\nfollowed by dissemination of information on benefits of
\nbiodiversity, she said.<\/p>\n
Incentives and disincentives must also be introduced, such as
\nthe current tax exemption for farmers who sell their crops to
\nMartha Tilaar cosmetics company.<\/p>\n
\"We know the effort to encourage people to take advantage of
\nour biodiversity will not be easy, but we must start doing it,\"
\nLiana said.<\/p>\n
However, the effort to promote the use of biodiversity for
\npeople's sake is facing various challenges, including the lack of
\nawareness about the benefits of biodiversity, huge losses of
\nbiodiversity resulting from illegal logging, land conversion and
\npollution.<\/p>\n
These activities have caused the country to lose the
\nequivalent of one species a day and 79 percent of its natural
\nhabitats in the last decade.<\/p>\n
\"But with the campaign to encourage the use of biodiversity,
\nwe hope people will know the benefits of biodiversity, stop
\ndestroying it and gain from it,\" she said.<\/p>",
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"sponsor": "Okusi Associates",
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