English - Convention on Biological Diversity

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COUNTRY STUDY FOR BIODIVERSITY OF THE REPUBLIC OF MACEDONIA
4.4. Access to genetic resources
With regard to agricultural production, FAO, as an international organisation
protecting the interests of the agriculture profession (among other areas), pays
considerable attention to genetic diversity. Within the structure of the organisation,
independent bodies exist which deal with plant and animal biological diversity (IPGRI –
International Plant Genetic Resources Institute and DAD – Domestic Animal Diversity),
an important factor for agricultural production. The Republic of Macedonia is a member
of these organisations, which operate through working groups that form an information
system under which each of the member countries is obliged to submit reports and
provide:
• a basic characterisation of varieties and breeds;
• support for planning, identification, collection and use of biological diversity;
• suggestions, exchanges of experiences and facilitation of the interactive participation
of all interested members in the process of genetic diversity maintenance;
• for the creation, maintenance and updating of genetic resource databases.
All relevant information is available through the publications of FAO via the internet
(www.cegiar.org/ipgri and www.fao.org/dad-is).
The access to plant genetic resources stored in gene-banks is not legally regulated in
the Republic of Macedonia. The collections in the gene-banks are freely available for
exchanges with any other gene-bank. All one must do is make a request by ordinary
letter, since such cases are generally arranged through personal contacts. Macedonian
collections can not be found on the internet, nor are any portions of the databases present
on other plant networks existing around the world. Consequently, they are unknown to
the worldwide community unless someone has personal contact with some of the
breeders in Macedonia. Since collections in gene-banks are free for exchange anywhere
in the world, it is necessary to immediately prepare methodologies and documents in
order to achieve that purpose. Furthermore, data in existing collections should be
updated and placed in appropriate information systems, allowing them to become part of
the international databases of specific plants. This will help increase the interest in the
biological diversity found within Macedonia and eventually provide economic benefits
arising from the profits generated by any commercial breeding company which uses
Macedonian materials in the production of commercial varieties.
4.5. Indirect uses of biodiversity
Nature’s great diversity has its own intrinsic value, which imposes a moral
requirement upon humanity to evaluate biodiversity. This tenet gave rise to the
movement at the end of the twentieth century (especially in the United States) called
“deep ecology” (Tobias, M. ed. 1985. Deep Ecology. Avant Books: San Diego, CA, 285
pp.). Essentially, it means “all organisms are entitled to live.”
The prevention, or at least reduction, of the continual loss of biodiversity, however,
is linked to its exploitation and to political decisions. In order to help politicians in their
decision-making, it is necessary to assign appropriate values to biodiversity, which is the
objective of this section. In addition to direct, easily measurable values, biodiversity also
has indirect values, without which the human community could not survive. Most of
these values are not specific to Macedonia, but are universal.