Basic HTML Version
162
UCT RESEARCH REPORT 2012
L
ocated at the interface of leading genetic and information technologies, and the
juncture of a wide range of developing social, political and ethical concerns, the
so-called bio-economy has fundamentally changed the way in which biodiversity is
used and commercialised. Newapplications for genetic resources in the biotechnology
industry have led to novel and varied demands for biodiversity, in forms previously
unimagined. Intended products include new drugs, climate-resilient crops, industrial
processing, novel ingredients for the food, herbal and personal-care industries, and
other advances that generate significant benefits for society, financial returns for the
companies that market products, and a range of benefits for countries that provide
the biological material. At the same time, livelihood opportunities have opened up
for rural communities engaged in commercially harvesting and producing supplies
with high value in global and local markets.
There is a growing focus on the opportunities of the bio-economy throughout the
industrialised and developing world. Yet, despite the profound societal implications of
these developments, our understanding of the environmental and social dimensions
remains poorly developed. This has been made all the more challenging by the
immense changes in global economic systems, the rate of scientific change, and the
information revolution. Environmental degradation and global climate change overlay
these transformations and their multifaceted consequences on the bio-economy are only
just beginning to be recognised.
The past two decades have witnessed a surge of interest in the
use of biodiversity, biological products, and biological processes
in the mainstream economy, on a scale unprecedented in history,
linking markets in virtually every corner of the globe.
The Chair’s strong focus on engagement with communities,
indigenous knowledge holders, and policy-makers, embeds
within it a practice of engaged scholarship and social
responsiveness.
Environmental and Social Dimensions of
The Bio-economy