The Four-Sided Triangle of Ethics in Bioprospecting

Pharmaceutical Business, International Politics, Socio-Environmental Responsibility and the Importance of Local Stakeholders

Bibliographic Data

ID5282707
AuthorsJanna Rose, Janna L Rose (0000-0002-7416-517X), Cassandra L Quave (0000-0001-9615-7886), Gazi Islam
Year2012
Volume1
Publication date2012-10-04
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenueEthnobiology and Conservation (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 2238-4782 • E-ISSN: 2238-4782
PublisherUniversidade Estadual da Paraiba/Universidade Federal Rural de Pernambuco (Ethnobiology and Conservation) (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.15451/ec2012-8-1.3-1-25
OpenAlexW2111887939
LanguageEN
Citations received2
References cited20

Bioprospecting, a vital step in the pharmaceutical production process, is also one of the most controversial and socially complex aspects in the pharmaceutical industry. The current conceptual paper reviews and theorizes this controversial sector by laying out the key elements of social, political and economic conflict involved in bioprospecting, from the point of view of the diverse stakeholders involved in the activity. First, we discuss the bioprospecting phenomenon as a high-risk, initial-stage research and development (R&D) activity that involves ethical, legal and economic uncertainties. After describing these uncertainties, we show how they are exacerbated by the unique cognitive frames that the main actors in this area - private companies, government actors, social and environmental activists, and local communities - use in framing the motives, norms, and rights surrounding bioprospecting. Juxtaposing actors in this way allows an opening for potential dialogue among the different stakeholders, and we follow our exposition by sketching a model for increased cooperation. Our model highlights the unique contributions of each actor, suggesting that a socially responsible form of natural resource use can promote both local and global benefits. Lastly, we discuss how bioprospecting can be utilized as a key tool in ethnobiological conservation efforts by aiding local stakeholders in the creation of economic value for their traditional knowledge and environmental assets

Bioprospecting · Business · Corporate social responsibility · Economics · Environmental ethics · Environmental resource management · Framing (construction · Political science · Politics · Public relations · Sociology · Animal testing and alternatives · Biosimilars and Bioanalytical Methods · Engineering · Ethics in Clinical Research · Ecology · Law

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