Extraction of marine genetic resources planned

US, France extract such resources from deep sea and produce costly medicines for deadly diseases like cancer

The government plans to extract marine genetic resources from 12,000–14,000 feet beneath the surface of the Bay of Bengal to boost the country’s blue economy. The government will negotiate a legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of the marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction.
The secretary (maritime unit) of the ministry of foreign affairs, Rear Admiral (retd) Md Khursed Alam, visited the UN headquarters recently. He told The Independent that the government plans to invite foreign companies to extract marine genetic resources from the deep sea.
“So far, we believed that no genetic resources could exist below 14,000 feet of the sea surface as no light can reach there. But the US and France are now extracting marine genetic resources from the deep sea and producing costly medicines for non-communicable diseases like cancer and angina pectoris (stenocardia),” he said. “There are many varieties of marine genetic resources in the Bay. We need the technology to extract these resources,” he added. “The government can earn huge amounts from these resources,” Alam claimed. Sources in the ministry of foreign affairs and the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) said the government is planning to undertake projects under the public-private partnership model.
Alam placed a position paper at the UN headquarters recently. In it, he mentioned that since the late 1970s, scientists have discovered many unknown organisms, particularly on the deep seabed. It is common knowledge that areas previously thought to be devoid of life contain an abundance of organisms of immense scientific interest and potential commercial value. Furthermore, it is now known that a symbiotic relationship exists between free-swimming organisms and those attached to the seabed. The mineral resources and the biological resources are also physically connected. Tubeworms living in deep-sea hydrothermal vents have adapted themselves to conditions of extreme pressure, heat, and toxicity. While marine genetic resource discovery is expanding, progress is now being made regarding their ownership rights in areas beyond national jurisdiction.
A comprehensive implementing agreement, according to UNCLOS, on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity would seem to be both necessary and desirable. In this spirit, if not according to the letter of the convention, it would also seem that marine genetic resources should be the common heritage of mankind, that marine scientific research in the deep sea should be regulated to protect the physical environment and the biological resources, and that both the process and the outcomes of such research should be shared, according to Parts XIII and XIV of UNCLOS, as well as the basic principles and purposes of the convention as set out in its preamble, the position paper stated.
The UN has begun negotiations for a new legally binding treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological resources in the world’s oceans, nearly 64 per cent of which lie beyond any national jurisdiction. This is the beginning of the process, which will continue with the Preparatory Committee meetings through 2017. In 2018, the General Assembly, at its 72nd session, is expected to decide on the convention of an intergovernmental conference to finalise an agreement. The treaty negotiations are expected to cover four aspects: marine genetic resources (including questions on the sharing of benefits), measures such as area-based management, including marine protected areas and environmental impact assessments, capacity-building, and the transfer of marine technology. Within only three years of the country’s independence, in 1974, Bangladesh had put in place a comprehensive law titled ‘The Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act’. The law covers 12 nautical miles of territorial sea and 200 nautical miles of economic zone and continental shelf.

Extraction of marine genetic resources planned

US, France extract such resources from deep sea and produce costly medicines for deadly diseases like cancer

The government plans to extract marine genetic resources from 12,00014,000 feet beneath the surface of the Bay of Bengal to boost the countrys blue economy. The government will negotiate a legally binding instrument under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS) on the conservation and sustainable use of the marine biological diversity of areas beyond national jurisdiction. The secretary (maritime unit) of the ministry of foreign affairs, Rear Admiral (retd) Md Khursed Alam, visited the UN headquarters recently. He told The Independent that the government plans to invite foreign companies to extract marine genetic resources from the deep sea. So far, we believed that no genetic resources could exist below 14,000 feet of the sea surface as no light can reach there. But the US and France are now extracting marine genetic resources from the deep sea and producing costly medicines for non-communicable diseases like cancer and angina pectoris (stenocardia), he said. There are many varieties of marine genetic resources in the Bay. We need the technology to extract these resources, he added. The government can earn huge amounts from these resources, Alam claimed. Sources in the ministry of foreign affairs and the Prime Ministers Office (PMO) said the government is planning to undertake projects under the public-private partnership model. Alam placed a position paper at the UN headquarters recently. In it, he mentioned that since the late 1970s, scientists have discovered many unknown organisms, particularly on the deep seabed. It is common knowledge that areas previously thought to be devoid of life contain an abundance of organisms of immense scientific interest and potential commercial value. Furthermore, it is now known that a symbiotic relationship exists between free-swimming organisms and those attached to the seabed. The mineral resources and the biological resources are also physically connected. Tubeworms living in deep-sea hydrothermal vents have adapted themselves to conditions of extreme pressure, heat, and toxicity. While marine genetic resource discovery is expanding, progress is now being made regarding their ownership rights in areas beyond national jurisdiction. A comprehensive implementing agreement, according to UNCLOS, on the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity would seem to be both necessary and desirable. In this spirit, if not according to the letter of the convention, it would also seem that marine genetic resources should be the common heritage of mankind, that marine scientific research in the deep sea should be regulated to protect the physical environment and the biological resources, and that both the process and the outcomes of such research should be shared, according to Parts XIII and XIV of UNCLOS, as well as the basic principles and purposes of the convention as set out in its preamble, the position paper stated. The UN has begun negotiations for a new legally binding treaty for the conservation and sustainable use of marine biological resources in the worlds oceans, nearly 64 per cent of which lie beyond any national jurisdiction. This is the beginning of the process, which will continue with the Preparatory Committee meetings through 2017. In 2018, the General Assembly, at its 72nd session, is expected to decide on the convention of an intergovernmental conference to finalise an agreement. The treaty negotiations are expected to cover four aspects: marine genetic resources (including questions on the sharing of benefits), measures such as area-based management, including marine protected areas and environmental impact assessments, capacity-building, and the transfer of marine technology. Within only three years of the countrys independence, in 1974, Bangladesh had put in place a comprehensive law titled The Territorial Waters and Maritime Zones Act. The law covers 12 nautical miles of territorial sea and 200 nautical miles of economic zone and continental shelf.