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)