Focus: who reaps the benefits of biodiversity?

The search for wild plant and animal products of potential value to medicine, agriculture, and other uses has been going on for hundreds, possibly thousands, of years. Many commonly prescribed medicines in the United States include ingredients derived from natural products, and roughly 80% of the world's people rely on natural products for their primary medical needs. Until the past decade, all of these natural products were collected without compensating the source countries. But the rules of collecting changed in 1992 with the establishment of the Convention on Biological Diversity, which offers financial compensation for natural products and seeks to conserve biological diversity, use natural products sustainably, and fairly share products made from gene stocks. Questions remain, however, as to how to share the benefits of biodiversity equitably, as well as whether the lack of both U.S. support for the agreement and enforceability render the convention impotent.