Biodiversity parks in BU soon: VC

To increase biodiversity in the city, especially Bangalore University, the varsity syndicate has directed each department to create a bio-diversity park.

Vice-Chancellor of Bangalore University K R Venugopal on Thursday said the syndicate has earmarked 50 acres to Botany department and 10 acres to each department to create bio-diversity parks.

From 1974, when 1,111 acres were allocated to the University, only 500 acres now remain with it. So every department will have to take the responsibility to create the park and protect it, Venugopal said while speaking at the inauguration of a day-long workshop on “Traditional Knowledge as Intellectual Property Right- Documentation and Scope for Patent Protection,” organised by Karnataka Biodiversity Board (KBB) and Botany Department.

The aim of the workshop was to interact with researchers, lecturers and students on the importance of biodiversity, research and patents.

Faced with a shortage of trained lecturers and researchers, Venugopal said the pressure is now on students to work individually. He said the matter will be discussed with the education minister after the Belagavi Session ends.

Chairman of the Department of Environmental Sciences R K Somashekar used the platform to call government organisations, including KBB, to help create and protect bio-diversity parks. He requested KBB to look at universities and researchers for work, instead of agencies, for their projects.

Somashekar pointed that the problem with patenting traditional knowledge is that Indians are very slow when compared to other countries, like increase of turmeric and Basmati rice. This is despite the fact that 80% of medicines researched and sold are brain-child of Indian pharmaceutical companies and farmers.

KBB member secretary Virender Singh said traditional knowledge is available since long but is highly misused. The Board is now interacting with communities to accumulate data and patent it.