Plant genetic resources of Papua New Guinea some thoughts on intellectual property rights

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Status of management of plant and animal genetic resources in Papua New Guinea

Over the last 20 years, there has been an increasing interest and enthusiasm for biodiversity prospecting and the development of natural products throughout the world. The exploration of biodiversity for commercially valuable genetic resources has the potential to encourage conservation and to provide economic benefits to developing countries and their local communities. However, despite the interest and rapidly increasing number of biodiversity prospectors, there are no clear national policies or legislation in place to govern and regulate biodiversity prospecting in Papua New Guinea.