Non-commercial biodiversity research and benefit sharing – general perspectives and challenges

1. Non-commercial biodiversity research and benefit sharing – general perspectives and challenges Christoph L. Häuser - Chair, GTI Coordination Mechanism, and GTI National Focal Point, Germany - State Museum for Natural History, Stuttgart (SMNS) Email: haeuser.smns@naturkundemuseum-bw.de

2. taxonomy = an example for non-commercial, basic / „academic“ biodiversity research; n.b.: many/most perspectives and statements also valid for other disciplines and fields of basic biodiversity research taxonomists‘ work and perspectives challenges for taxonomy + ABS regime opportunities for taxonomy + ABS regime Outline

3. description of organisms (catalogues, checklists, biodiversity inventories, identifcation tools; „alpha-taxonomy“) classification of organisms (classification systems, phylogenetic trees, etc.) characterization and interpretation of biodiversity (comparisons & assessments of faunas & floras, evolutionary history, etc.) Taxonomicresearch

4. daily hands on biological materials (“specimens”), including frequent manipulation, transfer, and exchange collaborative effort, constantly comparing and sharing materials and data between different institutions and partners international dimension, due to focus on organisms / taxa and scientific questions, but not (political) geography ... Taxonomicwork

5. transparent and detailed documentation of materials used & methods applied (for scientific credibility = repeatability; standards for exact documentation, especially of origin) Ultimate Goal: publication of results, in the public domain, ideally with unrestricted, free & open access to all data & materials Taxonomicwork processes

6. non-commercial research: no commercial intent, no gains, no financial benefits [n.b.: many non-professional taxonomists!]; biodiversity as a common (public) good: material/substrate of research (no ownership): „specimens“, but not biological resources (!!) international, collaborative effort, beyond „national“ limits / horizons:“ ... organisms (& taxonomists) don’t respect political boundaries” The taxonomist‘sperspective

7. Taxonomy and ABS: challenges • difficulty to accept notion of (national) “ownership” for biodiversity • cannot accommodate difficult access regulations for „specimens“ - neither nationally nor internationally • cannot easily cover additional costs for access fees/permits [esp. non-professional taxonomists!] • usually cannot provide financial benefits • depends on free access and frequent sharing of data („specimens“) and results (= basic science)!

8. Taxonomy and ABS: opportunities • free sharing of - non-financial – benefits (scientific results, knowledge); • offers best practices for transparent procedures and protocols for handling biological materials and information • long established, international accepted standards for detailed documentation of „origin“ of biological materials • provides universal reference framework for all kinds of organisms („classifications“)

9. Possible differentiation of scientific materials / specimens and biological / genetic resources (sensu ABS): declared non-commercial intent (pure research interest) no-commercial benefits free sharing of derived products (scientific data/results) living vs. non-living materials [?] ABS + basic research – some suggestions for a way forward

10. Increasing biodiversity loss & shortage of comprehensive (scientific) information: unknown dimensions of species/taxa still undiscovered (5 to >100 mio spp.??) no global biodiversity catalogue / register at hand ! no complete national fauna or flora available for many/most countries! no complete biodiversity inventory available yet for any protected area in the World !! Taxonomy + the CBD: the real challenges …

11. Thanks to funding organisations,and very much for your attention! Contact information: Dr Christoph L. Häuser - Chair, GTI Coordination Mechanism - State Museum for Natural History, Stuttgart (SMNS) email: chaeuser@gmx.de , haeuser.smns@naturkundemuseum-bw.de GTI NFP Website: www.gti-kontaktstelle.de

13. COP VI / 8 : Five operational objectives (18 “planned activities”) Assessment of taxonomic needs and capacities Building and maintaining systems and infrastructure for taxonomy Improving access to information Support for CBD thematic areas Support for CBD cross-cutting issues GTI Programme of Work

14. Operational objective 5 (“Include key taxonomic objectives in cross-cutting issues of the Convention”): Planned activity 14: Access and benefit-sharing: increasing access to existing taxonomic information facilitating access to taxonomic resources supporting access to and use of taxonomic collections GTI Programme of Work

15. Shortage of comprehensive information: No global biodiversity register at hand ! No complete biodiversity inventory available yet for any protected area in the World ! Numbers of species threatened by extinction have risen sharply over the past decade [IUCN]: Mammals: 647 (1990) to 1,330 spp. (2003) = 23%! Plants: 5,611 spp. (2000) to 6,744 spp. (2003) Insects (= 900,000 spp.): only 0.02% of all species could yet be evaluated! The challenge for taxonomy

16. OECD GSF17 Istanbul, 1-2 October 2007 Large varieties of objects

17. For the purpuses of the CBD, taxonomy, the classification of life, “is taken in its broadest sense and is inclusive of systematics and biosystematics at the genetic, species and ecosystem levels.” [COP VI/8, Introduction] Taxonomicresearch

18. Mammals: [IUCN „red lists“] (1990): threatened + endangered: 647 spp. (2003): threatened (CR, EN, VU): 1130 spp. (= 23% of all mammal species known)! Reptiles: (1990): threatened + endangered: 207 spp. (2003): threatened (CR, EN, VU): 293 spp. changes from: 2000 - 2003 plants: 5,611 : 6,774 spp. invertebrates: 1,928 : 1,959 spp. vertebrates: 3,507 : 3,524 spp. trends and figures