Law on biodiversity needed

Law on biodiversity needed

JAKARTA: A legislation on biodiversity is urgently needed to
prevent genetically modified agricultural products from entering
Indonesia unchecked, an official said.

"We have to be cautious of imported genetically modified
agricultural products. We don't want them to destroy our
biodiversity," Deputy State Minister for the Environment Liana
Bratasida said on Thursday.

She said that, as biotechnology activities were on the rise,
regulations were needed to control them so as to protect the
environment.

The office of the state minister for the environment is
currently preparing a bill on genetic resources, which is needed
to protect patented Indonesian biodiversity.

"Foreigners often take and use our biodiversity for their own
interests. They patent them and sell them at our expense," she
said. -- Antara