US embassy cable - 05TAIPEI94

UNCLAS TAIPEI 000094 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/RSP/TC 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: SENV, TBIO, EAID, EAGR, ESTH 
SUBJECT: TAIWAN'S ACCESS TO GENETIC RESOURCES AND BENEFIT 
SHARING ENVIRONMENT 
 
REF: SECSTATE 269625 
 
In response to reftel, AIT's EST section has researched 
Taiwan's legal framework for access to genetic resources and 
benefit sharing (abs).  Taiwan is neither a member of the 
United Nations nor a party to the Convention on Biological 
Diversity.  To date, Taiwan also has no laws specifically 
addressing abs issues.  That being said, Taiwan is currently 
looking into establishing abs rules.  Taiwan's National 
Science Council (NSC) has engaged several professors and 
experts to research and report on the ethical, legal, and 
social implications of abs. NSC is also planning to work with 
several research institutions to hold a number of workshops 
and symposia over the next few years to consider establishing 
a comprehensive abs legal framework.  In the meantime, 
according to a professor working at Academia Sinica, Taiwan's 
premier scientific organization, Taiwan's research 
institutions are relying on Taiwan's strict endangered 
species laws to protect access to those species.  Academia 
Sinica also encourages foreign researchers to collaborate 
with local scientists when doing research in Taiwan and urges 
those collaborators to return specimens to Taiwan after their 
research is published. 
PAAL