Walter C. Low
Published: 2008
Total Pages: 571
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The commercialization of biotechnology has resulted in an intensive search for new biological resources for the purposes of increasing food productivity, medicinal applications, energy production, and various other applications. Although biotechnology has produced many benefits for humanity, the exploitation of the planet's natural resources has also resulted in some undesirable consequences such as diminished species biodiversity, climate change, environmental contamination, and intellectual property right and patent concerns.This book discusses the role of biological, ecological, environmental, ethical, and economic issues in the interaction between biotechnology and biodiversity, using different contexts. No other book has discussed all of these issues in a comprehensive manner. Of special interest is their impact when biotechnology is shared between developed and developing countries, and the lack of recognition of the rights of indigenous populations and traditional farmers in developing countries by large multinational corporations.