Published in Kathmandu Infotiser on February 2006
Smuggling of drug is common news, but have you ever heard of genetic
smuggling? Nepal’s rich biodiversity has been quite a business for illegal
traders of plant and animal parts to the outside markets. Our country has a
wealth of natural herbs, some rare plants and animals but due to the lack of
proper monitoring, we are conditioned to bear immense genetic loss, which could
do a great deal in uplifting the national economy. Genetic smuggling is a
serious issue but it has barely been raised. So, we all should be aware of this
term and check this illegal trade in a time to preserve out natural identity.
Le’s consider a surprising and possible example here. A foreigner
takes a grain of rice or a seed of any indigenous plant form out country. He
will neither be checked not be objected to carry the plant or animal samples
with him to another country. Then he cultures those samples at this place and
thus the whole plant or animal is regenerated through any biological techniques
now available. And it gets patented in that country and we lose our claim on
that particular plant or animal. This kind of loss is considered as the genetic
loss or genetic smuggling which is quite an in-thing taking place here but not
many of us are aware of this trend and the possible consequences that could
follow.

Another examples could be vultures that have high vision power. The
genes of these vultures are our genetic wealth which should be conserved but
unfortunately due to the lack of awareness, the number of vultures in our
country is fast decreasing. Recently, India and Bhutan applied for the patent
rights on yak cheese. Hence, we could be losing our own indigenous animals,
like Chauri too.
Now the questions arise; are Nepali organisms not grown and
patented in other countries? Is Nepal in a position to recover those kinds of
genetic and biological losses? The answer would be NO. Nepal is not in a
position to solve its own internal problems. The political instability and
other domestic problems have been pushing Nepal backwards and if the genetic
resources are not timely monitored, genetic loss will evolve as a serious push-back
to the national economy.