On 27 April 2010, I have attended a workshop organized by Perbadanan Kerjaan Negeri Perak (PKNPk) at Perak Techno Trade Centre (PTTC), Meru Raya, Ipoh, Perak. The title of the workshop is “Bengkel Pembangunan Industri Cluster CBioD dan Pembangunan CBioD City di Bandar Meru Raya sebagai salah satu initiative Perak Hi-Tech Park (PHTP)”.
The workshop is to seek opinions and to prepare stakeholders towards PKNPk’ effort to make CBioD (Conservation of Bio Diversity – Conservation of living things for the benefits of present and future of mankind) initiatives as source intake for new emerging industry, creating flagship and cluster of CBioD based industries and contributing towards the K-Economy effort of the Perak State. Content on BioDiversity is the core industry cluster in this initiative.
About 54% of Perak is still covered by tropical rain forest of around 140 million years old and is rich in marine and inland water biodiversity. This is viewed by the State as a big advantages and in the words of PKNPk CEO, Dato’ Samsuddin “Throughout his career he has not come across industry or business activities that requires to conserve biodiversity or living things in the process of doing the business”
The CBioD initiatives in Perak started in 2002 when PKNPk was given 9,000 acres of forest concession and had decided to implement a sustainable forest management scheme. They were awarded by Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) a certificate in 2008 after complying with all the requirements of the Body. Then in 2008, FRIM, UNDP and GEF have come forward with a fully funded initiative of developing a Conservation of Biological Diversity through Improved Forest Planning Tools Project at PKNPk’s land in Temenggor-Belum area (www.cbiod.org). The key in this initiative is to audit, realize, preserve, develop and benefits from the biodiversity rich land area in Perak though Intellectual Property (IP).
The workshop members supported the initiative of Perak State. However, the biggest challenge as viewed by the workshop members is that although Malaysia is a member or had signed a Convention Of Biological Diversity in 2009 (www.cbd.int) but had not put up any law on biodiversity access and benefits sharing except for Sabah and Sarawak. The members felt that Perak State should initiate its own Act as soon as possible without waiting for the Federal Government. Immediately the State should form a body to regulate, monitor and control the biological diversity areas in Perak.
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is an international legally-binding treaty with three main goals: conservation of biodiversity; sustainable use of biodiversity; fair and equitable sharing of the benefits arising from the use of genetic resources. The Convention covers biodiversity at all levels: ecosystems, species and genetic resources. It also covers biotechnology including through the Cartagena Protocol on Biosafety. In fact, it covers all possible domains that are directly or indirectly related to biodiversity and its role in development, ranging from science, politics and education to agriculture, business, culture and others.
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