Congress on biology opened
Congress on biology opened
JAKARTA (JP): Both a national congress and a seminar on
biology were opened here yesterday, with the government calling
on biologists to train new experts.
Bambang Soehendro, the director general of high education of
the Ministry of Education and Culture, who simultaneously opened
the two meetings on behalf of his minister, also urged the
participants to publish their scientific works abroad.
The congress and seminar, which took place at the University
of Indonesia in Depok, 30 km south of here, are being
participated in by about 700 delegates from 18 provinces.
State Minister of Environment Sarwono Kusumaatmadja, who was
the keynote speaker, said that biologists should "be more vocal
in order to become known internationally."
He urged the participants to cooperate with the government and
industry in their efforts to boost their environmental
orientation.
"Handling the pollution problem will be much more successful
if we approach the matter through biology rather than through
chemistry," he said.
"The first-mentioned approach is cost-effective, synergic and
has no side-effects," Sarwono added.
"Biology research has also offered alternatives in handling
pollution problems," he said.
According to Sarwono biologists should be biodiversity-
oriented because Indonesia as a "mega diversity" country has
countless natural resources that should be taken account of.
Meanwhile, Soewondo Djojosoebagio, chairman of the Indonesian
Biology Association, said that 70 percent of medicinal plants
which have not yet been researched grow in tropical countries
such as Indonesia.
"Many of them have vanished due to the destruction of the
tropical forests," he added.
About 90 of the experts from various educational and research
institutions discussed yesterday subjects including biotechnology
and medical, aquatic and basic biology.
Today the three-day seminar will discuss papers on
environmental and agricultural biology, microbiology,
"biosystematics" and conservation.(05)