Bernama.com (Malaysian National News Agency), 7 November, 2006

Malaysia's Biodiversity Sources Not Utilised

KUCHING, Nov 7 (Bernama) -- Malaysia has yet to fully tap into its vast biodiversity sources although it is among the world's 12 mega biodiversity nations.

Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin said that nine per cent or 12,500 species of sources of biodiversity in the world were found in Malaysia and would go to waste if not used to generate income.

"More than half a million species of microbes are found in Malaysia but the number used to generate income is low," he said when opening the National Conference On Agrobiodiversity Conservation And Sustainable utilisation, here Tuesday.

He said Malaysia was also lagging in the development of institutions and capacity needed to conduct research and development (R&D) in agricultural bio-diversity.

Muhyiddin urged all parties to cooperate in conservation and research to ensure that the treasure would remain intact and not threatened by destruction.

"Every state has its own laws in addition to those at federal level to ensure that the sources of biodiversity are not destroyed or stolen by irresponsible people," he added.

Since the mid-90s, the Malaysian Agricultural Research and Development Institute (Mardi) had implemented R&D programme on sources of biodiversity that involved nine plantation gene banks and a seedling gene bank in several states.

-- BERNAMA