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<DIV><FONT size=4>Asia-Pacific may benefit from marine
bio-prospecting</FONT></DIV>
<DIV class=author>Ruci Mafi Botei</DIV>
<DIV class=source>2 March 2012 </DIV>
<DIV class=date><A
href="http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/bioprospecting/news/asia-pacific-may-benefit-from-marine-bio-prospecting.html">http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/bioprospecting/news/asia-pacific-may-benefit-from-marine-bio-prospecting.html</A></DIV>
<DIV class="article_content cf">
<P><SPAN>[FIJI] Indo-Pacific nations stand to make millions of dollars from
medical applications of resources from marine invertebrates such as sponges and
soft corals, researchers say. </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>But they warn that better regulation of such resources is needed to
ensure they are used sustainably. </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>Substances generated by some marine invertebrates have the potential to
be used in drugs to treat diseases like cancer, and exploration for these
resources is expected to rise in response to escalating demands for such drugs,
said Miguel Costa Leal, biologist at the University of Aveiro in Portugal and
lead author of a study in <EM>PLoS One </EM>(20 January). </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>"The global market for marine-derived drugs was around US$4.8 billion
in 2011 and is forecast to reach US$8.6 billion by 2016," he told
<EM>SciDev.Net</EM>. </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>"Worldwide, nations are generally aware of such interest. But adequate
management guidelines addressing bioprospecting are still missing in most
countries." </SPAN></P>
<P>The study said that the Pacific Ocean accounts for most <SPAN>new marine
natural products discovered over the past two decades – and for nearly
two-thirds of all such products identified so far. </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>Leal said there is clear potential for marine invertebrates to
contribute to the development of drugs that address a range of diseases such as
cancers, microbial infections, inflammation, <A
href="http://www.scidev.net/en/health/malaria/"><FONT
color=#336699>malaria</FONT></A> and <A
href="http://www.scidev.net/en/health/tuberculosis/"><FONT
color=#336699>tuberculosis</FONT></A>. </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>But he called for better regulations to govern <A
href="http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/bioprospecting/"><FONT
color=#336699>bio-prospectors</FONT></A> and marine systems, to ensure such
resources are adequately protected. </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>A keen debate on the governance of marine resources is expected at the
UN Conference on Sustainable Development (<A
href="http://www.scidev.net/en/science-and-innovation-policy/science-at-rio-20/"><FONT
color=#336699>Rio+20</FONT></A>) in Brazil in June, where oceans are a key
theme. </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>The draft negotiating document for Rio+20 stresses the importance of
"equitable sharing of marine and ocean resources" and calls for an urgent start
on negotiating an agreement under the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea "that
would address the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in
areas beyond national jurisdiction". </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>In the Pacific, there are also calls for wealth from marine resources
to be shared with <A
href="http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/indigenous-knowledge/"><FONT
color=#336699>indigenous</FONT></A> communities. </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>"The chemical resources of the marine environment remain
underdeveloped, in particular in the vast Pacific region," said Eric Clua,
co-ordinator of the Coral Reef Initiatives for the Pacific at the Secretariat of
the Pacific Community. </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN>"Indigenous peoples' <A
href="http://www.scidev.net/en/health/traditional-medicine/"><FONT
color=#336699>traditional knowledge</FONT></A> of plants and their medicinal
uses has long been a source for modern medicine," Clua said, adding that they
have "often seen little or no benefit from the commercialisation of medicines
originating from their traditional knowledge". </SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN><A
href="http://www.plosone.org/article/fetchObjectAttachment.action;jsessionid=CADD86F94172C554288292A6B2E88FBD?uri=info%3Adoi%2F10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0030580&representation=PDF"
target=_blank><FONT color=#336699>Link to full study in <EM>PLoS
ONE</EM></FONT></A> <IMG alt=""
src="http://www.scidev.net/uploads/Image/icon_pdf-transparent.png">
[925kB]</SPAN></P>
<DIV>
<P><SPAN><A
href="http://www.scidev.net/en/agriculture-and-environment/ocean-science-for-sustainable-development/"><FONT
color=#336699>Link to <EM>SciDev.Net</EM>'s Spotlight on Ocean science for
sustainable development</FONT></A> </SPAN></P></DIV></DIV></FONT><BR>
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