Read full text in French (pdf)Abstract

The globalisation of the world economy is increasing the interdependence of the ecosystems of the planet, and therefore that of its biological resources, too. These are essential both for the local populations that live off them and for humanity as a whole. The difficulty is that global public goods as critical as health, food and the environment can potentially be affected by the public or private use that is made of biological diversity. It is then that the question of regulating access to and the use of these resources is posed. This issue must be handled at a global level, associating the countries and populations concerned. Consultation and discussion between North and South have become even more necessary on this issue both to put in place an effective management system of biodiversity, and to offer to the local populations a genuine and equitable access to national and/or world markets.

Michel Trommetter is a Researcher within the GAEL, both at INRA and at the University Pierre Mendès France (Grenoble).
Jacques Weber is a Researcher at the CIRAD. He is the Head of the Institut français de la biodiversité (IFB), teaches at the EHESS and at the Engreff (Ecole polytechnique), the Ecole des mines and the University Paris VI.